It Was You, Hinata
by Rockrgrl4
Summary: Gaara is the Kazekage. Hinata is Konoha's choice medic sent to Suna temporarily. When these two hearts clash under the threat of impending doom, the threat draws the two closer together than planned. LEMON s in later chapters! Rated M for a reason.
1. Intro

My newest fanfic! Gaara x Hinata!

No I do not own Naruto! Just the storyline! Oh, and there probably will be mature content, but it won't be for a few chapters, lol. :P

And last but definitely not least, enjoy!

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The sun was setting over the vast desert, the sand shifting to settle for the night as the last faint breezes blew their last breaths. As the sun set, softly kissing the last dune, Gaara of the desert stared out at the vast ocean of sand that is his home, watching calmly the remainders of yet another day of his existence.

His existence…

Memories flooded Gaara's mind; memories filled with pain and hurt, memories he could never let go. He knew he had hurt people, both people had known and people he didn't know. He had killed cruelly and harshly, mercilessly, for absolutely no reason other than to prove the meaning of his own existence. A murderer-that's what he thought of himself.

A murderer.

He buried his head in his hands as these thoughts consumed him. Of course he was different now, but it still hurt all the same. That's what he had been telling himself since the one-tailed sand demon Shukaku had been extracted from within his being, to try to minimize the guilt and pain. 'I'm different now. I'm different now. I'll never do it again' he would frequently mutter in defense, but it didn't erase the damage that had already been done. The screams of pain, the pleadings, and the many haunted, dead looks in his victim's eyes still plague him.

Gaara shook his head, trying to shake these images from his mind, but they wouldn't go away. They never go away.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears. He turned his head and quickly stood up, searching for a potential threat…

However, there was no such threat. It was just the eldest sand sibling, Temari.

She had grown a lot over the last few years. She was taller now, and had developed into quite a beautiful woman. She, at the ripe age of 23, has been married to Konahagakure's celebrated lazy-ass/genius Shikamaru Nara for about 2 years. They were hoping to have children soon (The godaime Kazekage, an uncle? No one could really believe it. Gaara had had a hard time grasping the concept himself), but it just wasn't happening…

Gaara shifted his attention back to his sister, forcing himself to focus. She had to be here for a reason, after all.

"Hello Temari," Gaara stated simply, "What brings you here?"

"Hello Gaara," she smiled, "I'm here to give you the evening status report since Kankuro's off duty tonight. There has been no suspicious activity within the village reported as of today, and the students are all behaving nicely and are showing promising talent."

"Good. And what of the border patrol?" Gaara questioned.

"Well…" Temari shifted uneasily, "They found several corpses belonging to shinobi of another village about 100 km south of us. The bodies were all brutally mutilated, so it made identifying them pretty difficult. The area has been secured as a result, and several members of our Department of Investigation are out there right now wrapping up their report and finishing their immediate processing. The bodies have been taken to the morgue for safekeeping and, if the need arises, testing. Although," the blonde looked incredibly uncomfortable at this point, "the immediate response personnel wanted me to convey that although they will try to respect the foreign shinobi and their home village's privacy, if there are any problems they will ask for your permission before immediately examining the corpses for further information."

"From which village were the victims?" Gaara asked firmly, not allowing any concern or worry to show. Due to his responsibilities, the Kazekage could not allow himself to show outward concern for other villages' ninja, and it was in instances such as this that Gaara really hated being Kazekage.

"Kirigakure," Temari answered, her eyebrows tugging downward with her frown. "Apparently they were heading to Iwagakure. I have already notified both villages, so there's no need for you to do it."

"Thank you, Temari", Gaara said, giving her a tiny smile (one that he reserved for his two siblings only) in thanks. "I appreciate it."

"Anytime, little brother", she grinned back. "Do you need anything else before I go?"

"Actually," A frown soon found its way onto the young Kazekage's face, "Tell the department members working on the case to investigate the type of wounds the shinobi received during their battle with the unknown perpetrators. If the wounds are suspicious or unusual, investigate the types of weapons used. If that reveals anything, tell them to contact the ANBU office and have them run through the lists of missing nin that specialize in those types of attacks or weapons. I doubt it was that serious of an attack, but, we should exercise caution. If we follow the clues, we'll eventually end up with something useful."

Gaara sighed for a moment, turning away, before speaking again, "Also, I want the border patrol increased, just in case there is a real threat and this wasn't just some typical rogue attack. Have them double how many rounds they make and I want the guards to be on full alert. Again, we can never be too cautious."

"Understood" Temari said, bowing.

An inevitable sigh escaped Gaara's lips, and he muttered, "You don't have to bow to me, Temari."

"I know," she grinned evilly, "I just love to mess with you." With that she was running across Suna's rooftops, laughing.

Sisters can be so annoying sometimes.

* * *

So guys, whatcha think? :DDD

I originally was gonna wait to post this, but with the flurry of activity I've been getting from my GaaxSaku oneshot, Love Defined, I've reconsidered. Obviously. Lol. :P

So as you can see, good things happen when people REVIEW. :D *coughHINTcough*

Anyways, I'm busy writing and correcting chapters to some of my other stories on here. There are some I'm even up to chapters 8 and 9 completed, and already written, but need to be re-read over and corrected. Either that, or I'm out of ideas on writing any further…lol. So what do you think? Should I just type them up and post them and let you guys decide? :P haha either way, I hope to get some stuff up soon. New chapters, and new stories alike. And ehh, maybe even a one-shot or two. Depends on how well things go. :P

Well, that's all I have to say. Hope you guys enjoy this new story, and I hope to be updating soon!

-Kasie


	2. Oops!

CHAPTER 2 IS UP! :DDD

Are you guys as happy as I am about this story? So far so good!

Lol anyways, I don't own Naruto, just the storyline, yadda yadda yadda.

And omgg I forgot! In the last chapter, Everyone's about 23, 24, 25ish. You know…whatever you wanna imagine. I know I hate it when people tell me the ages, cuz then it messes up the picture of them in my head. Just whatever you wanna see, go for it. But I'm personally writing from an older point of view.

Enjoy! :D

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Paperwork.

The one word I've learned to dread above all others.

All through my youth I'd dreamed and dreamed of having this job, and forever fought to make it a reality, and now my dream had come true. I'd never regret my choice, my becoming Hokage, but sometimes when I see those huge stacks of papers sitting on my desk I wonder, 'What the hell was I thinking?'

I close my eyes in frustration, my hands rubbing my temples as I sat at the desk I could finally call my own. My robes and the hat my predecessors wore were a little big on me, and when I bent my head the cap slid down, covering my eyes. I was so tired, and the darkness of the cap tempted me to sleep. Oh, where was the endless energy I was so famed for having in my youth? Where did it go? I knew I couldn't sleep, but well, resting my eyes wouldn't hurt now would it? Besides, it would forestall my paperwork duties…

A small smile played over my lips and I sat my hands down on the desk, burying my head in my arms. I closed my eyes and my breathing became even. I started to drift off…

…and a knock came at my door.

Dammit.

"Come in." I said monotonously, trying to hide the weariness in my voice.

The door creaked open to reveal a beautiful young woman wearing a brown sundress that came to her hips and a pair of black shorts. Her vibrant pink hair was loose and splayed all around her face. Her eyes looked baggy from exhaustion and there were dark circles under her eyes, which automatically made my heart clench in my chest. I should send her home to get some more sleep…

She reached a hand up to brush the hair out of her face, and a flash of gold caught my attention. A ring.

One that matched the one on my finger.

I smiled. "Hi Sakura, honey, what brings you here?"

She smiled back. "Hi Naruto-kun. I'm giving you the report on the hospital staff and patients."

Anger surged through me and I stood up from my seat. "Sakura," I growled, "I told you not to work anymore. I FORBADE it…" I began, but she interrupted me, as she always does.

"NARUTO! Calm down! I know! I wasn't working, I was just talking to Ino at the hospital and she asked me to give you the report, okay?" A small frown played across her lips, and her hand traveled down to rest on the slight bulge protruding from her stomach.

"Did you really think that I would ever endanger our child like that, Naruto?"

The hurt was evident in her eyes and her eyes were glittering with tears, signaling that she was about to cry.

Dammit. I HATE it when she cries.

"No, Sakura, no! I just know how hard-headed you are about helping people; I was just making sure," I said, wrapping her in a hug, "I could never believe that you would hurt anyone, let alone our own child." I smiled reassuringly back at her and she drew away from my chest, wiping her eyes and returning it.

"Anyway," She gave me a stern look before moving on, "the doctor's supplies need to be re-ordered again, but other than that, everything's moving along smoothly. In fact…" She cracked a wide grin, "Hinata and Ino are doing quite well under my tutelage. Ino takes some time to learn, but she's got most of the stuff down already. She's almost as good as me, Naruto! And Hinata, she's got a natural talent for medical work- she's incredible! I'd say she's already nearly surpassed me in both talent and skill. They're both amazing. I don't know how I'm ever going to choose between them as my successor." At this, Sakura looked down, her lip quivering. Seeing his wife so upset always had an effect on Naruto, and he pulled her one again into his arms, holding onto her tightly and planting soft kisses in her hair.

"Sakura, honey, you know we agreed," he started, but was interrupted by his distraught, moody, and pregnant wife. "I know we agreed! I _know_, Naruto! But why should I give up my position at the hospital to stay at home with our kid? I mean, there's a children's center in the hospital and I can take him to work with me everyday-,"

"Or her," Naruto interrupted, a slight blush on his face. Sakura looked up, confused and blinking back tears. "Wh-What?"

"I said," Naruto began nervously, "Or her. I want a girl, Sakura," his eyes softened. He leaned forward, placing a delicate kiss on her lips, "One just like you."

Her bottom lip quivered again, only this time she collapsed into tears. Naruto sighed, just holding her, his heart breaking further with every tear she shed. So, he made a brave attempt at comforting her further. "Besides, we made a deal. It's too dangerous for you to keep working at the hospital, and someone needs to be there to both protect and nurture the baby. Who better than its own mother?"

"Yes, but," Sakura started, but Naruto cut her off, "AND if an enemy were to attack, they could just head straight to the hospital and swoop the two of you right up, because there are only a few shinobi guards posted around it. If you stayed home with the baby, you could both be protected properly."

Tears were still cascading down her face, but Naruto knew he had won. There was no way he couldn't.

They had a deal, after all.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I mean, I want to take care of our child, but I want to work, too…" Sakura sobbed.

"Then we'll try to find a middle ground," Naruto reasoned, "but AFTER you've had the baby. Okay?"

"Okay," Sakura answered, a weak smile showing through her tears. Trying to change the subject, his pregnant and moody wife scrambled for something to talk about, until she fixed her eyes upon the ridiculously tall stack of paperwork molesting his desk. 'Oh, this must be torturing him, this much paperwork,' Sakura thought mischievously. "Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't realize you were busy…." She joked. The Hokage, not busy? Ha! Yeah, right.

Naruto furrowed his brows in anguish. Gah, the paperwork! He sooo did not want to do it, but it was as though each and every page was beckoning to him, teasing him because they knew he was reluctant. One of the papers suddenly stood up, waving to him, whilst another began beckoning to him, teasing him by making a "come hither" motion. And of course they were all screaming, "READ ME! REEEEAAADD MEEEE!"

A sharp sting to the side of his face made him come back to reality and the first thing Naruto saw was his lovely wife holding her palm face up in the air. She was laughing, and he barely caught "Staring at the paperwork….oh, the look on your face…"

Naruto sighed, rubbing the now red and angry palm mark on the side of his face. "I'm glad you find my suffering funny," he grinned, "I could always make you help you know."

To his surprise, she smiled and made her way over to the empty seat beside his desk, grabbing a decent sized stack of papers as she went.

A few minutes later, he looked up at her from his current stack of paperwork to see how she was doing. Once again, she shocked him. She had ¾ of her original stack done already, and she was reaching across the top of his desk for more, grinning at the frustrated look on his face.

"How are you doing it that fast?" He grumbled, already feeling a headache coming on. No wonder his predecessor, Godaime "Granny" Tsunade, always kept the sake nearby. He could definitely use some right now.

"Practice," She replied, her hand flying across the page in front of her, "Do you really think lady Tsunade did it all by herself? Seriously? Ha! No way! She made me do some sometimes when it was really piling up, so we could try to get some training in that day. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I finally did. The hospital paperwork doesn't help, either. Actually, there might be more there right now than there is here."

"No way," Naruto moaned in agony, "there's no way. This is just ridiculous as it is, how can running a hospital take more paperwork than running an entire village?"

Looking up from the paper she'd just signed, she sighed. He really was an idiot, wasn't he?

"Records, Naruto," She sighed, rolling her eyes, "records of each person and each injury they've sustained, especially shinobi, including what operations or implants they've had in case there are complications in the futures. Then there are consent forms, in case someone tries to accuse the hospital of any wrongdoing. Not to mention bills, ordering supplies, signing paychecks, authorizing the use of equipment…"

"Ugh! Okay, I've got it." Naruto exclaimed. He soo did not want to discuss paperwork right now.

"Hey, wait," Sakura said, "you might have to do these yourself, they're mission reports. I can't authorize these."

"Okay. We'll trade, then. Here, these are," He glanced down and grimaced, "building inspection reports. You can do them, if you want."

After what seemed like hours went by, Sakura decided to break the silence. "Anything interesting going on lately?"

Naruto furrowed his brows at the mission report her was currently reading. "Yeah, actually. Listen to this, this is from Genma's team's last report, 'As we approached our target location, we were ambushed by several nin. At the time, we believed them to be after the goods we were to be delivering, but as it turned out they were out to give us a warning. After they had rendered two of my three genin charges unconscious, the leader ordered the attack to a stop. He turned to face me, and said, 'Those who consider themselves prestigious will fall, and the fallen will rise once again.' They then disappeared. Four enemies were engaged, each taking minor to considerable damage, while two of our genin passed out from blood loss to wounds inflicted with swords."

Finished reading, Naruto closed his eyes and breathed deeply, thinking. "Okay, so that does NOT sound good…and with what Gaara told us a few days ago about those mist nin who were killed…"

"That doesn't make any sense, though. If the two were connected, then why would they kill all those mist nin, and leave our team alive?" Sakura responded.

"I don't know," Naruto said, "but it would probably be smarter to assume the two are connected and count it as a threat than not to. I'm sure Gaara will think the same thing when I tell him." Naruto smiled. "He's a good Kazekage. He really cares for his people, you can tell."

"Mhm," Sakura agreed, "He's really devoted to improving Suna. The last time he and his siblings were here negotiating, he was telling me about his plans for the medical program up there…he said it was pretty bad…"

"CRAP!" Naruto leapt from behind his desk, papers flying everywhere, "I forgot! He asked me to send a medic up there in his last letter to help teach them some of the more advanced stuff, but with all that's been going on lately…" He blinked and looked up at his perplexed wife. "Who do you recommend? Since you're obviously not going…" He gave her a stern, pointed look.

"Well, Ino's marrying Chouji in a few weeks so you'll probably have to send Hinata," Sakura blinked, "She knows what she's doing and has an adept skill for what we do, I know she won't disappoint." Sakura smiled, but it quickly faded. "Oh, I hope she'll be okay over there for…uhm…how long will she be staying, Naruto?"

"Uhm…I'm not sure, exactly. I think he said a year, but she'll be staying in the Kage mansion. I'm sure she'll be fine, Sakura. She's strong, and besides, Garra won't let any harm come to her," Naruto smiled, "I actually kinda think he might have a crush on her."

* * *

Ahhh!

Sorry. Now that that's overwith…

You guys better have enjoyed this chapter! Not only did it take forever to type, it is now 10 till midnight, and I am about to bludgeon my eyes out with a colored pencil because the white, blinding light of Microsoft Word is killing me.

Well, anyways, I know this chapter is more NarutoxSakura oriented, and I'm sorry for that, but I believe it really is important to the story. Not only do we develop further into the antagonistic part of the plot, we get a glimpse of another couple, InoxChouji, and we learn that Gaara has already started to develop feelings for Hinata! :D Besides, seeing Naruto and Sakura's relationship in this stage is actually kinda cute, to me. Sakura's pregnant, Naruto's stressed and worried, and the part where he says he wants a baby girl like Sakura was just absolutely adorable as well. *coughs* ANYWAY, moving on…

I am SOOO proud of this story so far, I'm not even kidding. It's actually got a plot and it's got romance, but it's not pure romance like I'm used to writing, and not only that, but my writing techniques and just overall writing level has just absolutely skyrocketed since I've written my other stories. No offense to my other stories, but this is just coming together so much better than the others I've written, so sorry if I sound nuts by being excited about this…LOL.

Just a quick reminder and I'll leave you be-

When you REVIEW, good things happen!

Luv ya guys!

-Kasie


	3. Arrival In Suna

Chapter 3 is up!

Hope you enjoy!

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Hyuuga Hinata was thrilled.

The previous week she had been accepted as an Anbu, and as a result her father had finally acknowledged her. She was now worthy of her title as heiress, and her father's affections. Hinata had denied her birthright, however. She had no desire to be the head of a family who had oppressed both herself and an entire half of their own kin for their own gain. The whole idea was repulsive to her, and now that she is older she understands many things she previously had not.

Firstly, she did not wish to be clan leader. When she was younger, she trained ridiculously hard to try to prove to her father she was strong enough-strong enough to lead the clan, strong enough to succeed, strong enough to be an asset to her team-but all that she really wished to do was prove to him she was not weak. She, as a daughter, couldn't stand to see her father disappointed in her. She just didn't have the emotional strength she needed after her mother died, and the only one she had to turn to was her father. The rest of the main branch hated her and saw her only as a liability, even her own sister. The branch family she had little to no connection with, as they were seen and treated more as servants, and the only family after that was Neji. Hinata smiled sadly. Neji, back then, had absolutely hated her. That left the "weak" Hyuuga heiress alone in the world, and that was hardly a conducive learning environment for a young girl. As Hinata began to sink lower into her stupor, her confidence plummeted. When someone is that looked down upon, with absolutely no confidence in themselves, how will they ever succeed? Even the best of us need encouragement sometimes, and the Hyuuga heiress was no exception.

Which had led to her second epiphany, although truthfully, this one had came to her many years ago. While Hinata's family had given up on her, there were those outside of her family who hadn't. When she was still in the academy, she hardly had any friends. Her classmates tended to avoid her because of her "creepy" eyes, and of course the only student with a similar situation as hers-Neji-wouldn't talk to her. With no one to talk to, Hinata just watched. She watched her classmates interact with one another, watched the teachers, watched the day slowly go by until the school day came to a close. As a child, Hinata was a watcher. (It was a habit she had never quite grown out of, either.) Her classmates were always happy, and always friendly with each other. Most of them seemed to already know each other, or be really good friends, and that thought depressed her. She would always remember how lonely she was…until she opened her eyes and realized there was someone suffering worse than she was.

Uzumaki Naruto was the class clown of sorts. He was always pulling pranks, the troublemaker of the group. Hinata saw more than a troublemaker, however. She saw a young boy who was alone, who craved attention-just like her. While Hinata watched the other students, she became increasingly aware of the boy. He was always alone, always sad. She heard the others talking-they said he had no parents-and her heart went out to him. She, too, knew his solitude, his pain, and yet…he was different than her. He tried to gain people's attention-and their respect-constantly, while she preferred to just remain silent, and take their insults and nasty comments. This boy-he was different.

Thus, Hyuuga Hinata began to hope.

She slowly started to set goals, to make friends, and she adopted her very own nindo-to never give up-and it was all because of a blonde, rambunctious youngster named Uzumaki Naruto.

As a result of his support of her throughout the years-her fight with Neji during the chunin exams being the most prominent example of this-Naruto would always hold a special place in the young former heiress's heart as a dear, true friend.

Yes, friend.

This was her second epiphany. She did not truly love Naruto.

She used to have a major crush on him, yes, but at the time she was too young to understand her feelings for the blue-eyed blonde truthfully. Her feelings for him were strong, granted, but It wasn't love. She couldn't explain how love worked, or what it was even like, but one day she realized it wasn't what she thought it was. Of course, she realized this after he rejected her following their fight with Pein, after she finally told him of her true feelings.

Naturally, he had rejected her.

It was the fact he had rejected her at her most vulnerable time that stung the most, and it didn't help that it was right after she had almost died trying to help him. Hinata had always known Naruto's heart belonged to Sakura, and when he told her as much (as kindly as possible, for her sake), it had done little to ease the pain in her heart.

By then, though, she was a chunin, and her future was looking brighter. She wasn't the little girl she used to be.

Hinata smiled. Yes, her life had definitely changed. Naruto and Sakura had finally gotten together, and both had never been happier. Hinata approved of the relationship. Naruto deserved to be happy, and she was genuinely glad he finally got the girl of his dreams.

The past aside, yes, Hinata was ecstatic. Her recent promotion to Anbu definitely excited her, but what really made her this happy was the mission she had accepted this morning. She was to go to Suna, as a medical representative of Konoha, to work with their medics and to teach them some of the more complicated procedures. This mission was important in more than one way. Firstly, if Hinata succeeded, it could affect Suna's medical program tremendously. Secondly, it would help to strengthen Suna and Konoha's alliance with each other. Finally, this would be Hinata's first diplomatic mission, and her first Anbu mission. It would prove Hinata's progress as a shinobi and this mission would reflect on her Anbu mission record. She was to be escorted by her own cousin (and captain of Anbu by now), Neji, along with her former teammates Shino and Kiba as well. After they made sure she was settled, they would head back to Konoha, mission completed. Normally they wouldn't send out a four man cell (all of whom were at least jounin) as an escort, but because this mission involved the treaty between the two nations, and the Hyuuga heiress, an allowance was made. So Hinata was escorted to Suna, with her two best friends and her cousin by her side. Hinata smiled, with the realization that they were almost there.

* * *

Gaara of the Sand, the Godaime Kazekage, was sitting at his desk amongst a stack of paperwork when a knock came at his door, requesting permission to enter.

"Come on in, Seiji." Gaara said monotonously. Moments later his loyal, hard-working assistant entered, bowing low in the presence of his Kage. Gaara resisted the urge to sigh. He'd known the man ever since he had become Kazekage, they were and are to this day good friends and yet, he still felt the need to bow to him. Looking at the young man, he had hardly changed since Gaara's appointment to Kage, either. He still had the same blue eyes and short brown hair that he had always had. He was solidly built; a result of being a shinobi, no doubt, but there was something about him that didn't suggest it like every other shinobi's appearance did. Seiji's face was soft, but still defined, and it almost had a round look to it, although it wasn't round at all. A delicate nose stood proudly against his other soft features. He looked like a rather endearing man, and the women seemed to think so as well-he was never kept wanting when it came to women-according to the stories the young man had told his Kage, anyway. Snapping out of his thoughts, Gaara acknowledged his friend with a question. "You needed to see me, Seiji?"

"Yes, Kazekage-sama. The Konoha medic is here, along with her escorts. Do you wish for me to send them in?" Seiji questioned.

"Yes, go ahead and send them in. I have been waiting for them." Gaara nodded at his assistant, who immediately bowed again (which annoyed Gaara once more), and turned out of the room to see to their visitors.

Gaara had been waiting for their arrival, true, but there was one person in particular-and he didn't know why-he was unsure about seeing again. Hyuuga Hinata was the Konoha medic chosen for this mission, and she would be staying with he and his siblings for a whole year.

He didn't know why that contented him. Let alone why it excited him. It would almost be unnerving, if the feeling wasn't…pleasant…for lack of a better word. Another knock sounded at the door, and Gaara was pulled from his thoughts. After clearing his throat and quickly straightening up his desk (although again, he had no idea what possessed him to do so), he solemnly stated "Enter."

The door flew open to reveal four exhausted Konoha shinobi and Seiji, who was in the lead. As soon as they entered, the weary Kazekage took them all in. Firstly, there was a man fully clothed from head to toe in a coat. 'Shino Aburame' he noted, recalling his brother Kankuro's description of his former opponent after the chunin exams. Next, there was another man and trotting at his side was a nin dog. It was hard to miss, as the animal was huge. The dog's owner, it seemed, had red triangles on his cheeks, and sported messy brown hair. 'An Inuzuka' Gaara once again noted, and turned his attentions to the last male. Pale white eyes stared back at him, with long chocolate brown hair. There was a menacing feel to him, no matter how his docile appearance led one to believe. Make no mistake; this was none other than Hyuuga Neji he was dealing with-Hinata's own cousin. He remembered him from the chunin exams…he had fought against Naruto.

Finally, there was Hinata herself, and she was beautiful. Her hair had grown longer since he had last seen her, and she had grown taller…not to mention she had filled out more. She had curves that would make any man's head turn (not that he would allow anyone to look at her besides himself, of course). Yes, she was very beautiful, very powerful, and very deadly-in more than one sense.

All at once, Gaara became aware that the three escorting the Hyuuga heiress (not including his assistant) were male, and that thought seriously irked him, even if one of them was her cousin. He was going to have to talk to Naruto the next time he saw him, because clearly this was a joke.

'Well, this is what happens when you tell Naruto something…either he tells everyone about it or he turns it into a huge joke' Gaara thought to himself, annoyed. Either way, he had guests to greet. He composed himself, and spoke.

"Welcome to Suna," Gaara smiled, "I trust you made it here okay, with no complications?" His expression changed, and his jaw set.

The Konoha four nodded.

Gaara nodded. "Good. We have made the proper accommodations. All four of you will each have your own room, and you will stay with me in the Kazekage's mansion, as you are all guests of Suna. I trust you will find everything you need there, and if you have any questions or if you need anything else, you may consult either Seiji here," Gaara nodded toward his assistant, who bowed to them, "or of course you may talk to me or either of my siblings. The three of you will be leaving us in a few days, correct?" He glanced at the three Konoha males, who again, nodded their response. "Very well then, you three are dismissed if you have no questions. Just wait outside the door so I may give Hinata her instructions, and in case I don't see any of you again before your departure, thank you for escorting her here." He glanced at the Hyuuga heiress and smiled grimly, "I'm afraid we really are in need of her services at the moment."

After the door shut, Gaara smiled at the female in front of him and nodded his head toward her in acknowledgement. "Hinata-san."

Hinata smiled and mimicked the movement, adding her own, "Kazekage-sama."

Inner Gaara almost instantly kicked and screamed in frustration at the formal way she addressed him, but on the outside the normally stoic Kazekage kept held himself together quite well. They had known each other for several years, and talked with each other on many occasions. He liked to think of her as a good friend of his, so why did she address him so? With his face still neutral and friendly, Gaara shook his head and said, "Just Gaara, please Hinata-san…although you may call me Gaara-san if you must be so formal. We will be working together for the next year or so, and such formalities are ridiculous for old friends." Gaara nodded at the door, "I keep telling my assistant, Seiji, the same thing, although not only does he insist on calling me Kazekage-sama, he constantly bows to me as well," Gaara rolled his eyes, "It's maddening sometimes."

Hinata giggled and replied, "I can imagine. Okay, Gaara-san," she smiled, "From what I understand, I have been called here to help you guys with your medical training? I do not know which procedures specifically I will be dealing with, but I am confident I can help. Is there anything else?"

Gaara shook his head, "No, that's about it. I am unaware of what procedures they want you to teach them as well. I'm sure the medical staff will tell you when you get there, though. That way you will have time to order supplies and whatever else you will need. When would you like to begin?"

Hinata looked away in thought for a moment, and returned her gaze back to Gaara while responding, "As soon as possible, I believe. I can't wait to get started, and to help." She smiled. "How about I start tomorrow? That way I can rest up tonight and get right to work, or at least get to know everyone."

For a fleeting moment Gaara thought about refusing her, and making her wait a few days before beginning her work. However, he was unable to come up with a proper excuse fast enough, so he grudgingly agreed without allowing his disappointment to show. "Very well. You are dismissed. Seiji will show you and your teammates the way to where you will stay. Don't forget I am here if you need anything." She nodded and almost bowed, but remembered his earlier request and righted herself. "Thank you, Gaara-san."

Gaara nodded, and added, "Oh! And I almost forgot-You will be reporting to me once a week about the progress you are making, and you will also tell me if you run into any complications or problems. This is not a choice," he regarded her sternly, "If anyone is causing you problems I want to hear about it. This is a privilege to them, and they will treat you with respect. From what I understand there are a more than a few medics against your being here. I have already addressed them all, but I want to know if they listened. Understood?"

Hinata nodded, and answered, "Hai."

Gaara seemed to regard her for a moment, and finally dismissed her.

When his office door closed, announcing her departure, Gaara closed his eyes and cradled his head in his hands. There were so many emotions conflicting within him, and they were all caused by the beautiful young woman. He understood some of them-lust, friendship, respect, even jealousy-but the others were swimming in his mind. He had yet to study on them and try to make sense of himself…he had to find something to explain his behavior. This confusion and lack of understanding of himself and his actions was driving him insane. At this point, he actually had to fight to control his emotions-that's how much she was affecting him. Never had he had to fight for control like this…at least, not emotionally. Not since Shukaku had been removed.

And what was that when she said she wanted to start working tomorrow? Normally that would just earn his respect-after all, she was willing to work hard to help out his own village-but when she had said it, it actually…depressed him? That made no sense! Why would that depress him?

'Maybe it depresses you because the sooner she begins her work, the sooner her mission is complete and she leaves for Konoha.'

With that stray thought came even more emotional turmoil, and it only succeeded in confusing the 20 year old Kazekage even further. That in itself was something not easily done. He debated on just calling it a day, leaving early and going home, but he remembered that she would be there.

He was seriously starting to regret letting her stay with him, if he was going to be afraid to go home from now on.

Sighing, the emotionally tormented young man turned off his desk lamp and removed his office robes. He changed into his traveling cloak, which was more adapted to Suna's harsh climate, and stepped out of his office, locking it. Turning on his heel, he strode through the hallways of the Kazekage's office building with purpose, trying to seem like he normally did as he left his office at night. He didn't want anyone to catch on that he was any different than usual.

His efforts were wasted, however, because as soon as he left the building every head in the building turned to stare at the door he had just exited. Early. Godaime Kazekage Gaara never left his office early.

And his staff members didn't know whether that should frighten or thrill them.


	4. Trouble on the Homefront

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Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter, and this one is in FLASHBACK FORMAT. For the few of you who don't know, that means it is a flashback to a time before the time the other chapters are taking place! -.- Wow, I explained that bad. Let's try again! :D

FLASHBACK- A literary or cinematic device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological order of a narrative.

(According to ) ^^

Enjoy!

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**(2 Weeks Prior to Hinata's Arrival in Suna)**

"Ryuu! Get back over here and help us set up!" A shrill female voice sounded through the rapidly approaching darkness. A young boy sighed-his teammates could be quite annoying sometimes-and rose from his resting place upon a rather large, but flat boulder. Because of its abnormal shape, the boulder was much more comfortable than one would expect, and the boy who stumbled upon it-Ryuu, as he was known to everyone else-had been resting upon it for as long as he possibly could. Ryuu sighed once again and ran his fingers through his sandy brown locks. Although young for a person of his rank-he was in fact, the youngest in his class-he was an incredibly intelligent and gifted ninja. More than once, his instructors and many adults that had had a chance to spar with him or watch him practice his techniques had praised both himself and his abilities greatly. They had high hopes for the handsome, young mist shinobi with such promising talent. They had such great expectations of so young a person such as he, and yet he didn't want any of it. He had no desire to continue up the ranks, to become a jounin, an anbu or even the Mizukage, as some had proposed. He was perfectly content being a chunin. All Ryuu wanted to do with his life was marry, have a family, and perhaps be an instructor at the mist village's ninja academy. He never wanted to base his life on his career-being a shinobi, that is-but it seemed to him that preparing the young ninja for the real world was something he felt he owed to them. He knew firsthand about the struggles of becoming a better ninja, and he also knew the pain and hardships the many missions that they would take over their shinobi careers would bring. He wanted to help his future students realize that they had a choice, and to communicate to them the many difficulties and sacrifices of being a ninja.

Most importantly, however, he wanted to let them know there was another choice, another way of life.

Taking in his surroundings, Ryuu's blue eyes narrowed, piercing the sun-kissed hills from the recent sunset. The night was fast approaching, and due to the absence of the sun, it was getting hard to see. Those blue eyes never missed anything, however, and there was a definite trail of chakra heading into a cluster of large boulders. The rocks provided apt cover for a hiding place, meeting place, or camping site. Although there was no reason to suggest any foul play from the chakra, something about it didn't set right with the young shinobi. Debating for a few moments whether to investigate the anomaly or not, the boy started following the trail, but stopped in his tracks when a voice sounded and endangered his cover.

"RYUU! GET OVER HERE NOW!"

A figure appeared almost as soon as the sound finished ringing through the landscape. To the naked eye, the shadowy figure looked freaky-ominous, even-but on closer inspection you could make out the distressed, slightly heckled female. As one took in said female running her fingers through her tangled, curly brown hair, eyes narrowed in annoyance, all anxiety was immediately replaced by amusement. The angry expression alone-in Ryuu's opinion-was comical. Her eyebrows tugged downward with her mouth, which was pressed into a tight line. Her brown eyes emanated pure annoyance and anxiety, but her figure was composed, sturdy and in control. Overall, Ryuu could conclude that the female was mad and annoyed, but she acted as if she had an objective or a reason for being where she was.

And she did.

Ryuu himself.

Regaining his composure, Ryuu turned to fully face the now completely angered girl. With a broad smile on his face, the young nin nodded slightly, finally greeting his female counterpart.

"Kiri," the boy said with a small smile, "You were looking for me?" Amusement and mischief reflected in those crystal blue eyes, and it was not lost on the addressee.

Kiri no Seishin knew he was being smug…she just knew it! With that grin on his face, it was obvious! He was playing stupid, too, acting like he didn't know she'd been calling him for the last 10 minutes…acting like he hadn't been out here to avoid helping the rest of his team set up camp. That thought infuriated her even more. How dare he act so stupid about this! They were a team, and they were on a mission. Why couldn't he be mature about their responsibilities even once?

"Yes. I have been looking for you," the kunoichi growled impatiently, "for the last 10 minutes, in fact. Ever since the rest of our teammates and myself started setting up camp, and your absence was finally noticed. When sensei brought it up, I took it upon myself to find you, once again, and drag your lazy good-for-nothing ass back!" Finishing her speech with a glare that would make her father, the Mizukage, proud, she maintained her eye contact with him, daring him to refuse. She might be his teammate, and she might be his subordinate now, but she most certainly was not going to allow him to walk all over her.

Throughout her little speech, Ryuu was honestly trying his hardest not to laugh. He knew she was being perfectly serious, and he knew she was angry (in fact, angry was a kind word to use), but he just couldn't help it. She looked so cute when she was angry. Her face was all scrunched up, and her eyes were narrowed in her fury. Her nostrils flared periodically, and the glare she was giving him was absolutely adorable. Her lips were also pink and pouty, and they alone put thoughts into his head that shouldn't have been there. Oh, no, Ryuu was not going to start that now, not here. There was nothing going on between he and his teammate anyway. Nothing.

'There never will be, either.' He growled to himself mentally. The last thing he needed was to be distracted by his teammate. Besides, he didn't even like the girl. She was too loud, and nagged too much for his taste.

Clearing his thoughts and regaining his composure, Ryuu smirked and answered the livid girl, "Oh? So you're going to, as you put it, 'Drag my lazy, good-for-nothing ass back'?" The boy sat down once again upon his recently vacated boulder and looked up at his teammate evilly. Making an extravagant gesture with his arm, he lay back upon it, looking up at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He was daring her to forcibly move him, and to verbally make his point the young chuunin challenged, "Make me."

The already angered girl screamed her frustration and pumped chakra to her fists and feet. Lunging for the boy, she attempted to punch his face, but her fists were caught before they had the chance to make contact. Refusing to let her teammate win, Kiri shifted her weight and flipped him off the boulder all together. Hitting the ground hard, the young chuunin had the breath knocked out of him, and it took him a moment to recover. When he did, however, he had looked up just soon enough to see his female counterpart kick the large boulder he had been resting on previously. It flew several hundred feet before crashing into the side of another, much larger boulder, and cracked into several small pieces. Cackling madly, Kiri turned around, gazing upon her fallen teammate on the ground. Eyes still blazing with fury, a smirk made its way onto her previously enraged expression. Amusement laced into her tone as she countered, "Looks like you're coming with me," and as she continued, her expression had turned almost deadly, "and if you refuse, what just happened to that boulder will also happen to your face." The threat rang clear and Ryuu completely understood what he had just gotten himself into. The logical part of himself was telling him to get himself back to camp as quickly as he could (because, truthfully, no one wanted to willingly mess with the child of a Kage), but sadly, the logical part was not being heard. The majority of himself wanted to push her further, to see how far she would go until she snapped. Ryuu opened his mouth to answer to her threat, but before he could get a word out the rest of his team appeared in the clearing.

"Ryuu! Kiri! What is taking you two so long?" Their other teammate, Seiichi, called out to them. "You've been out here forever!" The boy sported a mess of choppy black hair that always seemed unruly. His mist headband, which was tied around his forehead, was unlike how his teammates wore theirs. They tied theirs onto their arms. His features were delicate for the most part-his cheekbones were high, and his facial structure was sharp and pointed-but his face had a weathered look to it. Although that was not uncommon for most shinobi, it was unusual in ninja of their young age. His eyes, a pale, but enchanting green, narrowed when he took in the sight of his female teammate clearly irritated, and his other teammate lying on the ground on his back. Clearly, Ryuu had found a way to piss her off again. Seiichi ran his hand over face, sighing in exasperation. Really, couldn't they just get along for once? They were always fighting, always arguing. It was enough to drive anyone crazy!

Beside Seiichi stood an equally irritated, but considerably older shinobi-their sensei, Shigekazu-sama. Being of Jounin rank, their sensei's attire was pretty standard-the jounin vest and weapons pouch he was currently sporting was the only thing that would draw attention to him in civilian society. His face was stern, jaw angular and a serious expression (the "obey" expression, as Kiri had coined it) almost permanently resided on his face. His grey-blue eyes were faded, almost as if they dulled with age. They were quite entrancing to look at, all of his students agreed, but they never openly stared. That would have been quite awkward; after all, he was their sensei. Assuming his sensei responsibilities for the first time since he and Seiichi had entered the 'clearing', he sternly ordered, "Get up, you two. I've had it with your petty arguments-either the two of you get along, or I'll start leaving you behind." Their sensei's eyes found the male still on his back on the ground, and he continued, "Ryuu, get up now. I've sick of your goofing off! We are on a mission, and you are expected to act like a professional shinobi, and respectable representative of Kirigakure. Your current behavior is unacceptable. Your recent promotion to chuunin does not give you the right-and it certainly does not give you the privilege-of slacking off and making your teammates do all the work, nor does it constitute you running off on your own. Get your act together, or I will have you demoted. I am still your sensei and you will do as I say. Is that understood?"

Ryuu sat up and nodded, his expression suddenly serious and somber. Internally, though, he was almost freaked out. Oh man, did sensei look pissed!

Expression still hard, the patience-drained sensei turned to face his only female student, whose eyes were currently wide as saucers. If the jounin weren't so tired of the two's antics, he wouldn't have been so harsh, but they had really been trying his patience lately. Ever since Ryuu had gotten promoted, he'd proven himself to be a handful. Contrary to Ryuu's prior quiet and reserved disposition, he'd been very…self-absorbed lately. He'd been shirking his duties, ignoring his teammates (and his own orders, on a couple of occasions) and Shigekazu had just about had it. Ryuu wasn't the only one acting up, however. He, as a former genin himself, understood what his other two charges were going through, having to accept the fact that one of their teammates had been promoted…before themselves, even…but that didn't mean they had to get all defensive about it. Especially Kiri…she had been acting extremely out of character lately as well. She had a better excuse than Seiichi, though. Kiri, being the daughter of the current Mizukage, had responsibilities to fulfill, and watching one of her teammates be promoted before her must have been frustrating. After all, Shigekazu himself was the son of the sixth Mizukage, so he knew firsthand how she must feel. That did not give her an excuse, however, and he wasn't about to go easy on her.

"Kiri, you have become increasingly frustrated because of Ryuu's recent promotion. Everyone can see that, but the only thing you can do about it is focus on yourself and improving your own ninjutsu. You cannot hope to truly succeed by tearing down others, especially your own teammates. All of you-" he broke off and gestured to Seiichi, including him into his speech as well, "need to realize that you draw strength from each other. That is why we are assigned teams like this. We make up for each other's weaknesses, and learn to work with other's strengths. Only by learning from our past experiences and each other can you truly advance and become better shinobi. Do you understand?"

The three nodded, and Shigekazu sighed. He admired his students, he really did. He saw the hidden potential, the friendships they had with each other, and even the admiration all three of them possessed for himself, but sometimes…sometimes he just wasn't paid enough. Sighing, the jounin calmed himself and turned to his newly promoted charge, "Why did you run off, anyway? And what took you so long?"

Ryuu instantly replied, "Well, contrary to popular belief, I had done all the chores that had been asked of me, and I wanted to relax for a bit." Ryuu shot Kiri a look, and inwardly smirked at the infuriated glare she sent back at him before continuing. "I wasn't going to go that far-honestly sensei I know better than that," his charge pleaded, his own gaze meeting his senseis once again, "but I found several trails of chakra leading this direction and I traced them to this location. They go back a little farther than those rocks," the boy nodded about a mile southeast, motioning towards the large rocks he had taken notice of earlier, "and the trail ends there. I was going to sneak a little closer and see if it was something worth getting you guys and investigating over, but Kiri was getting closer, screaming my name, and I decided against it."

Shigekazu's eyes narrowed as soon as the boy mentioned the alleged chakra trail, and immediately started sweeping the area for any other chakra remnants. After a quick inspection, he realized his student was right-there was a faint, but distinct chakra trail leading to the precise location Ryuu had described. He was also right in saying there was more than one-the traces indicated at least two, maybe three different chakras. How had he missed that? He was a jounin for Kami's sake, he should have at least…noticed…something…

Wait-he recognized those chakras! The other one was new to him, but those two…it belonged to enemies he had fought long ago, there was no doubt in his mind. Although it was true he was a shinobi and he'd fought many other enemy nin, Shigekazu remembered these two specifically, because they were the only ones who had fought his father…

…and got away.

Yes, Raiden of the Cloud and Arashi of the Mist were tricky, cunning, and seriously messed up bastards.

Shigekazu's recollections of the men were vague, but from what he could remember Raiden had a wicked amount of chakra, and his control of said chakra was flawless. He truly was a formidable enemy, and his chakra was only the beginning. He was highly intelligent, and had a knack for manipulation, along with a strong thirst for power-a thirst that was never quenched, it seemed. The man would work himself to the bone, developing new and increasingly more dangerous techniques with his three chakra elements. Most jounin only had two, but Raiden had managed to discover and perfect three-lightning, wind, and fire. The fight between Raiden, Arashi and Shigekazu's father and the two had been over 20 years ago, but Shigekazu remembered it well. It was the day he had lost his father, after all.

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* * *

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_You think you can stop me Shige? Go ahead and try." Raiden sneered at his opponent. "You're a pathetic excuse for a kage, and a leader. You didn't even notice until last minute I was here-and here I thought this was going to be a challenge. It seems I will have to live with the disappointment, however." The rouge nin chuckled. _

_A 14 year-old Shigekazu flinched at the accusations made against his father, his blood already boiling with rage. How dare this foreigner challenge his father, the Mizukage, like this! He, who was totally ignorant to the abilities and responsibilities of his father! They would show him, he and his father, that is, who that idiot rogue nin was messing with! Wouldn't they?_

_Shigekazu turned to his father, Shige, and saw that he was keeping himself composed, but the way he was standing…he wasn't actually intimidated by that man, was he? No, surely not _his _father! He was the all-mighty Mizukage, he was a great ninja, and he would defeat this man easily! _

"_Shigekazu," his father spoke to him quietly, "alert the village immediately of an intruder. Inform them of my whereabouts, I will try to detain him and keep him here. After you have done so, go and help with the other preparations or evacuations, if necessary." _

_Shigekazu was outraged, and his whispered answering tone showed it, "No way, father! I want to stay here and help you fight-we can take him out together, I just know it! We can't lose! Please father, don't send me away, I can-"_

"_Shigekazu." His father quietly spoke with authority, "This is not an option. I am not speaking to you right now as your father, but rather as your Kage. I have given you an order. Do not seek me out after you're done reporting, either. I want you to stay out of this if it can be avoided-"_

_Shige's sentence was cut off, however, when a familiar figure soon appeared beside Raiden. After the new intruder stilled, he turned to the side to address Raiden, as the man had formerly introduced himself. He smiled, handing over an also very familiar-looking scroll, as Raiden praised the man and accepted the scroll with a pleased smile. Wait-that scroll contained information on the village that his father had recently updated this afternoon! That man must have…_

_..but wait! That was no ordinary man, that was…!_

"_Arashi-sensei?" A young Shigekazu dumbly managed, "Wh-wha-?" _

"_Isn't it obvious, Shigekazu?" The man smirked evilly. "Isn't it obvious that I'm not on your side anymore?"_

"_God Arashi! And here I thought you said the boy was brilliant!" Raiden choked out a laugh._

"_That is enough!" Shige muttered darkly, "You will not speak to or about my son in that manner! Your fight is with me, and not he," the Mizukage then turned his attentions to his son's sensei, "Arashi, you know I have to ask. Why?" The Kage stared at his former student and friend with barely veiled shock._

"_You never did understand, did you Shige?" Arashi laughed, "You're too busy with your 'Way of the Mist' nonsense to realize you're just forestalling new methods and improvements. You're holding back the entire village with your peaceful ways and other utter nonsense! Luckily for me, though, I have a brain. I understand the importance of power, and furthermore, the need to be the one who acquires the most. That's why this village pales in comparison to any other-because you feel as if there is no need to fight! You, Shige, believe that everything can be simply negotiated. You see violence as a last straw…but Shige," Arashi laughed, "Some of us, including myself, think differently. I hereby defect from Mizugakure. You have nothing more to 'teach' me, _sen-sei." The ex-mist jounin mockingly sang.

"_Ahhh, yes," Raiden interjected, "You see, Mizukage-_sama_, Arashi and I understand that in order to become stronger, you need power, and not just the power you can get from your sensei's and other old teachings, as you so very strongly believe," continued Raiden, "Arashi and I, we both know-and it's time you realized this as well-that there are far greater powers in this world to be had." _

"_So you're betraying your village and my trust because you're power hungry?" Shige asked his former student, disbelief evident on his features, "That's not like you, Arashi. I knew you from when you first asked me to privately train you, on top of Akemi-sama's tutelage, and while you were always curious and ready to learn, you were never obsessed with power to this degree." The weary Mizukage shook his head. "It seems, however, that I have been wrong. I should have foreseen your betrayal, but even if I had I doubt I would have believed it. Though, even with this turn of events, I cannot bring myself to regret being your sensei. You were a good student, but, as always, you are too stubborn to see the big picture. Yes, power is necessary, and yes, power does make a person-and a village-stronger, but if violence and bloodshed can be avoided, it is imperative we do so. After all, you make many more alliances than enemies by trying to be friendly and neutral. My only regret is that I allowed you to become anyone's sensei, let alone my own son's, because now I know that you never have been fit to properly instruct our youth on how the 'Ways of the Mist' truly work." Shige turned his head slightly to his son and spoke quietly, "Shigekazu, I want you to know that I am proud of you, and always have been. I will not survive this battle, and it's unlikely that you will arrive with reinforcements in time to prove my prediction wrong. Do not be upset, however, this comes with the responsibility of being Mizukage, and I was more than aware of the probability of this happening when I took office. Promise me though, Shigekazu; If you have learned anything from this night, let it be that those who seek power were once good. When someone gets greedy, they allow that greed to cloud their judgment, and they tend to make mistakes and break bonds that they will never be able to mend. Don't ever become that way, Shigekazu. Human nature is the lesser of the two evils you have seen tonight, so do not drive yourself to hate, but to love. And finally, I have this one last thing to ask of you. Please pass on the teachings and traditions of the old ways. Teach them to the younger generations that will replace you, to prevent any such thing as this from happening again. Do you understand?" _

_Shigekazu nodded, desperately trying to hold back his tears. Shinobi do not cry, after all. _

"_Good," Shige replied. "Now when I attack, that should give you a distraction and enough time to get away from here. Go immediately my office building, and find Jiro. Trust no one else. Inform him of the threat within the village, and do as I asked of you previously. Understood?" _

"_H-hai, Mizukage-sama." Shigekazu shakily answered, his voice cracking._

"_Very well then," Shige nodded, "On the count of three, run. One, two, three." _

_A loud rumble was heard as water and wind clashed, lightning lighting up the misty haze of the previously darkened rooftops of Kirigakure. With tears streaming down his face, Shigekazu ran as he had never ran before, pumping chakra to his feet in order to reach his destination sooner…as if he had a chance to save his father. Yet, if his father had said his goodbyes, he must have known himself that he would not make it. As he made his speech, Shigekazu only wanted to interrupt and fight him, however he bit back his protests and finally became a man. His father knew it was the end, and he, as the Mizukage's son, would not argue. He finally accepted his fate, and rather than argued and pleaded like a small child. He would grow up and listen, just once, for his father. He would show him that he was behind his decisions, at least one time. He would show him that he was proud of him._

_Looking back at the roof of the building on top of which his father was currently battling, Shigekazu was struck with a sudden realization. This was the last time he would see his father. Water and wind were swirling around him, high level jutsus and other attacks were flying left and right, but his father would not back down. He was standing strong, fighting for his life, his son, and his village. His father's eyes were so filled with a cool determination as Shigekazu looked at him up close for the last time, and from a distance he could almost picture his father's expression and intense focus throughout the fight, as if it were just another training session between he and Shigekazu himself. As Shigekazu watched his father fight those two enemy nin, however, he was almost blown away by the sheer amount of pride he held for his father at that moment. And the next day at his father's funeral, Shigekazu walked away from his father's grave with tears streaming down his face, accompanied by a small smile. _

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

Shigekazu grimaced at the memories that came rushing back full force, but he soon suppressed it. He was on a mission with his genin/chunin team, after all, and now was not the time to reminisce. He had to make a decision…risk his team's lives and get closer to spy on Raiden and his lackeys, or to continue on their way to their own mission. It would be the better choice to just send a message back to Kirigakure, informing them of the situation, and continue on to their own mission, but Shigekazu decided against it. He knew that these were powerful nin, and if the message wasn't received by Kirigakure officials in time, Raiden and his cronies would be long gone. With no guaranteed timeline, Shigekazu had little to no choice. They had to act…this could be a matter of their village's security. The nin had killed a Mizukage in the past, after all.

"Alright you three, listen up, and listen good," Shigekazu addressed his team, "this is important. I know these chakra signatures-or at least, two of them. I believe there are three, however, even if the last one is very faint…faint even enough to compare to the other two, and the other two-who I am positive I have encountered in the past-are exceptionally strong ninja. It is essential that you do not underestimate them. Do you understand?"

The three nodded, and Shigekazu proceeded to inform them of the situation and exactly who they were dealing with. After he had finished, he gave them their assignment-they were to observe only, and were not to engage the enemy under any circumstances, even if he himself stayed behind to fight them off. After the terms were squared away and they all agreed on an emergency plan, the four instantly took off toward the chakra signatures.

The next day their bodies were recovered by Sunagakure's border patrol, with little to no signs of a struggle.

____

And I am TOTALLY unsatisfied. That was way too much like the third Hokage's death for my liking, but it's reallyyy hard not to copy a scene like that. It's just so…I don't know…unflexible to do a kage death scene. There are only so many scenerios one can think of, and I really tried hard not to copy someone else's work or do something stupid. I'm sorry I let you guys down if you didn't like it, but I really did try!

Also, as for my genin team…did you like them? Kiri was my favorite…the Mizukage's daughter and she had a nasty temper…but only when provoked. :P kinda like myself, haha. Btw, in case you were wondering, her full name? Kiri no Seishin? It means spirit of the mist. I thought it was cool, so…yeah. I used it. Haha! Just so you know, it about killed me to kill off that genin team. They were my first OC's ever, and…well…I'm learning many things as an author, and one of those things is it is VERY hard to kill off your own ideas, including characters. All well, though. I tried to make this set the tone to the story and introduce the antagonists (at least SOME of them…muahaha!) to the story, since I know everyone's all excited about the plot. :P Well, anyways, I'm sorry for the wait and I hope you guys liked it! Don't forget to review and leave me things!


	5. Getting Situated, First Encounter

Hey guys!

So I've got some bad news…I got in my first car wreck the other day.

I swerved to miss a dog, but wound up 4 foot in a ditch…but I am fine, so on with the description! Lol!  
Sorry I haven't updated in forever. School started and I've been trying to get some homework done and get back in the school-time groove. I'd say I'm officially used to it by now, so I'll be posting more often than I have been. Hopefully.

Either way, here's chapter 5 of my ongoing fanfic, "It Was You, Hinata". Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Hinata sat in silent thought, peering out her guest bedroom's window in the Kazekage's mansion. Sand was splayed across the landscape, and she could barely make out some of the tiny grains on the windowpane due to the diminishing light of the setting sun. She could see people bustling around, running their last errands of the day and closing up shops as the sun finally disappeared on the horizon, taking with it the beating rays of the blistering sun. The citizens of Sunagakure slowly made their way into their houses, saying their last goodbyes to friends and family before disappearing into the dome-like structures they called homes. So different was Suna from Konoha.

So different was the climate. Konoha's rich green countryside provided life for many different species of plants and other vegetation. It was a thriving environment, rich with nutrients, water, and wildlife, and it provided the perfect living environment for Konoha citizens. The mild climate was comfortable, and that was why so many people had taken residence there when the village was first established.

Suna, however, was a deathtrap.

Its climate was almost unbearable. It was stifling hot during the day. The sun's rays beat down on your skin brutally, burning and weathering the flesh. At night, when the sun would disappear and the heat along with it, it would get absolutely frigid. Due to the lack of water sources in the immediate area, the heat had nowhere to go. Water sources, such as lakes, ponds, and oceans retain the heat the sun provides during the day, and this helps maintain a mild climate in most areas. However, Suna was a desert, and had little to no water and vegetation. The lack of water created a drastic difference in temperature during the day and night-sometimes as much as 60 degrees.

Hinata was not suited for life in Sunagakure, but that did not stop her from loving it any less.

Although the climate was harsh, Hinata could see an inner beauty. The citizens were very much dedicated to the well-being of their village, much like Konoha's will of fire, and they were very loyal to one another. It seemed as if most of the families had known each other since birth, and then entire village seemed more like a close-knit community than a collection of people such as Konoha. This added a certain charm to the village, and Hinata was one of the few to ever cross Suna's borders and truly appreciate it.

The people of Suna were very weary of Hinata at first, because she was a foreigner, but in the past week several had warmed up to her. They asked her questions about her home, her life, and how she was liking Suna-it was hard to believe these people were ever unkind or an enemy to Konoha, but the only reason they had been so was because they were under the tyrannical rule of the Fourth Kazekage, Gaara's own father, at the time.

Her first week at the Suna's hospital was a perfect example of this.

Some of the hospital staff was extremely against her being there, because of Gaara's father's beliefs. Some-admittedly only a few, but some-were still loyal to the Fourth Kazekage, rather than his son. They believed he had been doing what was right for their country, rather than a result of him trying to accomplish his own agenda. So, in the past week those mentioned few showed their disapproval of her being there. They were acting like children: throwing things, playing stupid and not doing their jobs, blaming problems on her "poor management skills", and Hinata had just about had enough of it.

The rest of the staff, however, which consisted of over 95% of those loyal to Kazekage Gaara, was welcoming her with open arms. They understood the need for her being there, and we appreciative of everything she was doing for them. She greatly appreciated the kindred employees, because they made it all worth being here. She could teach the others that hated her as much as she wanted, but at the end of the day, they wouldn't have learned anything. They would have tuned her out the whole time she would have been speaking, too focused on their hatred for either herself or her being here to actually listen to what she had to say.

That was perhaps what made Hinata the saddest.

She was here to teach, to help them learn to help their villages. She wasn't here to spy, or try to tear down what they had, like they had tried to do to her own village, Konoha. They were being hypocritical.

Hinata sighed, turning her gaze away from the window. So much had happened in the past week. The former Hyuuga heiress wished she could do more, but the only remedy to their ignorance would be time, she knew. Only time would let them trust her, and only time would make them see how great of a Kage Gaara really was. At this thought, Hinata smiled. Yes, he was indeed a great Kazekage. The village couldn't have chosen a better leader than he all those years ago. She had to applaud the village elders for taking the chance and allowing him to be their leader, as well. They were skeptical, and even fearful of what he would do when he was instated Kazekage, but they took the chance and allowed him to anyway. That took a lot of guts, and it was greatly satisfying that the risk they had taken turned out far better than they had even dreamed.

A knock sounded on her door, tearing the Hyuuga girl out of her thoughts. Who could it be at this time of night? She thought to herself as she swung her legs over the side of the window seat and trotted over to her guest bedroom's door. Hinata opened the door, and a sense of wonder and shock came over her face as she stared up at none other than the Kazekage himself.

"Ka-Kazekage-sama," the former heiress bowed her head low in repect, "to what do I owe this honor?"

Gaara was inwardly annoyed. _Extremely_ annoyed. And with inner Gaara sighing and glaring impatiently the real Gaara had no choice but to ask, "Back to formalities, are we Hyuuga-san?"

A cloud of confusion passed over the young kunoichi's face for a moment, but soon a sheepish expression replaced the former confused one. "I'm sorry Gaara-san," she apologized sincerely, "I forgot, and it's a force of habit."

The stoic male nodded his forgiveness, and she smiled. "So what's the occasion?" She teased.

The normally composed shinobi stiffened. In truth, there really wasn't a reason for his visit; he just wanted to see her. Now, what was that excuse he had made up on the way here? They had a meeting? No, he couldn't say that, it would worry her and she would fear for her being unprofessional for not being prepared beforehand. He didn't want to her to worry.

Damn it!

"Ah.." The all-powerful Kazekage replied dumbly.

"Gaara?" Hinata asked, concern displayed on her features, "Are you-"

"Hinata!" A familiar voice sounded down the hallway.

"Temari!" A relieved former heiress replied, as both she and the Kazekage turned their heads to glance at the approaching form of the eldest Sand sibling.

When Temari saw Gaara, she stopped in her tracks and raised an eyebrow. While the sand siblings weren't exactly close in the past, they were most certainly the opposite now. So it was because of this new closeness that she kept her mouth shut. If it was any other person, (especially Kankuro), she would have embarrassed them to the point they would have wished they would have never been born, but she wouldn't do that to her little brother Gaara. He had been through enough hell in his life, Temari thought.

It also helped that he was the Kazekage and could make her life miserable. Or he could throw her in prison or have her demoted or throw her out of the village.

Yep. He'd been through enough in his life for her to tease him now.

"Hiya Gaara," Temari grinned, "What have you been up to?"

The young Kazekage scowled, "I've been busy with work, as you probably have already guessed onee-chan. But I have to go now," He turned to Hinata and nodded, bidding her farewell. "Good night to you both." With that, he turned on his heel and strode away from Hinata's room and headed up the stairs to his own bedroom.

The two kunoichi's stood, stunned, and watched him make his leave up the stairs until he disappeared from sight. When they looked back at each other, a question evident on both their faces, they quickly dissolved into giggles and Hinata ushered Temari into her room.

"Oh my god," Temari gasped out to her good friend, "What did you do to Gaara?"

"Nothing! I swear!" Hinata tried to keep a smile off of her face, "He just showed up at my door and we just talked for a minute. It was nothing, really!"

Temari looked skeptical, "Seriously? It was nothing? I've _never_ seen Gaara come out of his office for anything other than sleeping…let alone to go visit a guest shinobi. Usually he makes them come to see him in his office."

At that, Hinata frowned. "Seriously?"

Temari somberly replied, "Seriously."

"Well…then what was that all about?" Hinata's brows furrowed in thought, and her eyes flickered to the side as she bit her lip in thought.

Temari allowed a sly smile to cross her face, but it quickly disappeared when Hinata re-settled her gaze upon hers. Temari answered seriously, "I have no idea…but I'm sure we'll find out soon."

Luckily, that placated the sand sibling's friend, and she smiled in hope. "Yeah, I hope you're right Temari. I don't want Gaara-sama to be uncomfortable because of my being here. Hopefully he tells me what's wrong soon. I don't want to be a bother." The Hyuuga heiress looked more than slightly uncomfortable as she sat down on her bed. Her eyes flickered, downcast, and her fingers started nervously picking at her bed's covers. "I mean, I don't want to be a burden or a disappointment. I'm tired of being a bump on a log or the subject of everyone's ill content. My family treated me like that all the time at home, and I don't want it to be that way during my stay here." Hinata shifted her gaze onto the blonde, "Have you heard about what's been going on at the hospital?"

"Yes," Temari sat down on the bed next to Hinata and growled, "and we're handling it. They have no right to act that way, and certainly no grounds for it. They are being dealt with, I assure you." Temari had indeed heard about how some of the hospital staff had reacted to Hinata's being there, and it made her more furious than she had been in years. Not even her husband Shikamaru Nara had succeeded in pissing her off in the past two years of their marriage as much as this had, and he could _really_ get under her skin sometimes. Damn it! Hinata was here to _help_ them! Not to destroy their village! They just didn't like her here because Gaara supported her. It was a shock that even after all this time there were those who still hated Gaara…granted, it was only very few, but they were still there, and Temari could see how much that upset him. More than once she had walked into his office after his instatement to Kazekage to see him gazing somberly down into the streets below at the crowds of protesters and skeptics, who were shouting insults and threats. Yet, he was able to watch them calmly, even after all the crap he had been through because of them as a child and in the years past. He was still willing to stand up for them and defend them at the cost of his life. He was willing to _die_ to protect these pigs, this _scum_, despite what they did and continue to do to him.

Gaara was a damn good Kazekage.

Hinata was relieved. Hopefully the insults and rude remarks would end soon. She didn't have as much self-control or emotional strength as Gaara had. She couldn't deal with people hating her like he could…it just made her want to cry, or go home. Gaara, however, had had to deal with it his whole life. Despite their hate, he became their Kazekage…to protect them and make sure they were safe.

He was a very admirable person, Gaara was. Very handsome, too…

At this, the former heiress coughed lightly and tried to hide her blush, at which she was failing miserably. Naturally, this attracted the eldest sand sibling's attention and Temari glanced up at the flushed Hyuuga trying to contain a grin. She knew it had to have been because of her brother somehow…she could tell by the expression on her friend's face.

While Temari had made a promise with herself not to bother her brother about his crush on Hinata, she had made no such promise to or about Hinata. So, naturally, the blonde immediately prodded her friend for every little detail.

"So do you think he's cute?" The blonde eagerly asked.

"N-n-NANI?" Hinata spluttered and coughed, her eyes wide and face red with alarm and shock.

Temari sighed and rolled her eyes, "Oh, please. Hinata, I know you better than that. You must like him at least a little to be acting this way! And besides that, you've been gazing off dreamily in the distance the whole time I've been talking…and you still are!" Temari finished, clearly annoyed.

Hinata's gaze was fixated on a wall behind Temari, and her eyes were indeed glazed over, an empty look within them. She was definitely lost in thought, and hadn't heard a word her friend had just said.

Temari growled and clapped her hands in front of the former heiresses face. "HINATA!"

Startled, the raven-haired girl jumped back and saw her friend sitting on the bed in front of her with an evil, mischievous grin on her face.

Oh, this _definitely_ wasn't going to end well.

* * *

Gaara huffed at himself once again, as he dispelled his third eye jutsu and lay back spread eagle on his king size bed in the Kazekage's suite. His thoughts were of course on a certain raven-haired girl, who was no doubt getting interrogated by his older sister right now. He knew Temari well, and if he knew her as well as he thought he did than best friend or not, Hinata was being pestered by constant, incessant questions from the eldest sand sibling at this exact moment. He didn't particularly want to see anymore of what was going on down there, so he had cancelled his third eye jutsu. Knowing what questions she was _likely_ to ask was far better than knowing for certain if she asked them or not. It was deeply embarrassing, not only for him, but for Hinata as well.

At this thought, a wave of guilt washed over him. He shouldn't have visited her this late, and he should have known that either Temari or Kankuro would find out about his...attraction…to her, and question or tease her about it. There was nothing that could be done about it now, however, and he couldn't have done anything about it now if he tried…

Well…he could, actually. He could get Temari away from her.

Gaara immediately sat up and called for one of his guards, who came running into the room and was at his side in an instant. Gaara felt bad for alerting him for something so trivial as to give his sister a message, but he couldn't very well do it himself, could he? She would know he was just trying to get her away from Hinata, and while she couldn't ignore a direct order from a Kage, Temari would just find Hinata again some other time and interrogate her.

For now, however, this would have to do.

Gaara spoke quietly but deliberately to his guard, relaying him the message and having him repeat it back to him. Gaara nodded, satisfied, and dismissed him. He then sank back into his bed's mattress, clearly pleased with himself. He had successfully managed to keep his evil sister away from the girl of his dreams, without her even knowing he had done it.

A sigh escaped his lips. He had indeed realized his feelings for her in the past week, mostly by studying and watching other people. Couples around here tended to look as though they were nervous, like he was, when they were first dating. Then when he would watch other people in relationships, they were happy, relaxed, and trusting with each other. They held hands and kissed, and seemed to want that physical attachment as well as emotional.

That scared him. He wasn't sure he was able to handle that yet. He was fine with hugs, greetings, and yes, even kisses (Temari had playfully kissed him on the cheek a few times, much to his dismay), but he wasn't sure if he would be able to overcome that barrier of physical intimacy so soon. Not even for Hinata.

He was drawn to her; there was no doubt of it. What really puzzled him, though, was that he _wanted_ to touch her. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, and hold hands with her. He wanted to do all that, and so much more. There were no words to explain what he felt, except want. It was the only word befitting enough for the strange sensation in his chest and body.

This was difficult. His mind was not ready, yet the rest of his body was. The trauma of such a dangerous and difficult childhood had taken a serious toll on his mind, however, and this would take a while for him to get familiar with these sensations. He was determined, however. He would not give up. He would at least try his best, and give his best shot at a relationship with her. He had gone through hell his whole life. He had been shunned and feared by his siblings, his father, his uncle, and his village. He had been kidnapped and even _died_ defending his village, and its inhabitants. He'd maimed, killed, and been the vessel of the one-tailed beast Shukaku for most of his childhood. He'd given up his sanity, and the willful control of his life. He'd only just recently got it back. It was about time he got something stable and good in his life. He had never been so emotionally and deeply affected by another person before, not since his Uncle had tried to kill him, and he was apprehensive about being hurt like that again, yes. If he had learned anything in this life, however, it was that you had to give a little to get a little. He had to become Kazekage, for Kami's sake, to try to win over his people's approval…to try to make them not _hate_ him. So far, it seemed to be working.

He wanted, no _needed_ something more in his life. He was old enough now to be married, and while he wasn't greatly concerned with marriage yet, he just wanted that intimacy with another person. He wanted love, a relationship, and someone with whom he could go to talk about his problems, just like the children's stories and the people around him could experience. He had friends now, although he still preferred to be alone most of the time. Old habits die hard, he supposed. He wanted someone he could talk to and not be afraid of them hating him, or not wanting him. He wanted someone who would want him back. And he really, _really_ wanted that person to be Hinata.

Gaara sighed and rubbed his eyes. There was nothing he could help her with now, he supposed. He got Temari out of her hair, and that was going to have to be the best he could do-for now. An evil grin stole across his face at the thought of the displeasure she was going to experience when she saw what her mission was. Oh, he was going to hear it for days, he was sure, but hopefully she would learn her lesson.

_Stay away from Hinata, Temari. And stay away from me._ _Leave us alone, and mind your own business._

With that thought, Gaara closed his eyes and almost instantly fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

It wasn't a peaceful sleep for the people of Suna, however, as screams erupted over the city, coming from the dunes general direction. There had been a group of workers out there for a week straight, trying to re-dig trenches and holes in which to place traps. The thing was, the group kept losing people, mainly because of the-

-"snakes." Temari whimpered. She _hated_ snakes.

Damn you, Gaara!

* * *

Hahahah! I'm positively evil. ;)

Now that that has been established…sorry it took so long to update! But I've been working on this for a while, so I hope you liked it! It definitely took some work.

I hope to update soon, but next time I PROMISE you, I will wait a YEAR to update if I don't start getting some serious reviews soon. It's getting really old that I'm taking so much time to try to get this stuff written and posted when I could be working on school work and no one is bothering to review. I think I have what, 9 reviews on this story so far? And this is the fifth chapter! I'm pretty sure there should be more than 9 reviews, especially if you guys love/like it enough for me to continue. If you guys want more, you're gonna have to ask for it! So review!

Please and thank you?

Lol. Love you guys!

-K.


	6. First Briefing, A Favor for the Kazekage

Hello again!

So I'll cut the crap and let you guys read Chapter 6 of my ongoing fanfic, It Was You, Hinata. Remember, I don't own Naruto, and enjoy! ^^

* * *

Time flies quickly, Hinata mused, as she readied herself for her meeting with the Kazekage. It was Friday already, and she had been in Sunagakure a full two weeks. Although much progress had been made with Suna's medicinal programs already, many members of the hospital staff were still posing a great challenge to the leaf medic. That was perhaps the greatest challenge at present, Hinata thought to herself, as a certain memory suddenly came to mind.

* * *

**FLASHBACK:**

_"I don't know __what__ you're thinking, Hinata-sama. We simply cannot mix those two medicines-"_

_"Yes," the former heiress tiredly sighed, "you can. Herbs aren't like prescription drugs, their chemical properties-"_

_"Do not matter," a second stubborn hospital nurse interjected, "mixing medicines are against our guidelines. If used incorrectly, they can produce lasting harmful effects. Not to mention both ourselves and the hospital can get sued-"_

_"Well heaven forbid you two get sued for trying to save a life," the Hyuuga woman impatiently snapped, "I'm here to teach, and you're supposed to be here to learn. What is the point of my being here if you are only going to argue with me?"_

_"You know what?" The first nurse snottily replied, "Fine. You're going to run this hospital into the ground, and I refuse to go down with it." Bitterly, the nurse turned to her counterpart. "I'm so done with this," she angrily told her friend, and then she turned back to Hinata. "Fine," the nurse hissed, "Go ahead! Kill your patients, give the nurses false medical information, fire staff that has worked here for longer than you've been _ALIVE!" _she screamed. "Side with the monster, everyone! I mean, why NOT?" the angered nurse cackled hysterically, "What do we have to lose? Oh, only our village!" she finished, throwing her cap on the ground. "I quit." She spat in Hinata's face, "Good luck with your 'mission' Hinata-SAMA." Turning to face her other nurse friend, she threw a dirty look at Hinata and promptly walked out of the building. Hinata, utterly defeated, resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and took in a deep, steadying breath. Before she could open them, however, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Her eyes burst open, and she found a kind smile staring back at her. It was the other nurse-the one that had been standing beside the woman that had just quit. "That shouldn't have happened," she told the distraught leaf medic, and offered an apologetic smile, "but it's good that it did. At least now we don't have to worry about it. It needed to happen, anyway."_

_"But-but I don't understand," Hinata managed, "I thought you two were-"_

_"Friends? Yes," the woman finished with a sad smile, "but there are those who can accept change, and those who cannot. Haruka-san was such a person." _

_"I-I see," Hinata sincerely replied, trying to keep her composure. "I'm so sorry; I never intended to cause trouble, and now you've lost a friend because of me-"_

_"And I've gained real, true knowledge of how to help others because of you as well," the nurse interjected, "I don't have to watch my family and friends die anymore from simple, infectious diseases-let alone major ones. I owe you much more than I could ever give you in return-we all do. Do not fret over such nonsense. It never would have lasted, anyway. We fought over even the most ridiculous of things, and we never did see eye-to-eye about Kazekage-sama. However, regardless of what she, or anyone else here thinks about Gaara-sama," her voice increased in volume, and suddenly she was talking to everyone in the facility, "we are here to learn, not to argue or to prove our political beliefs. Either way, she is here to help us improve our lifestyles, and to save our own people. If anyone else here is honestly thick enough to think that is a bad thing, then leave. Right now. We don't need anyone else hindering our learning environment."_

_There was a slight pause, and not one person so much as even flinched. All within the room stayed completely still, waiting for someone to say something. Then suddenly, a male nurse spoke from the back of the room. "Kazekage-sama has nothing to do with our work environment, and his being Kazekage never mattered until you, Hinata-sama, arrived. Even before you came here to help us, we all knew that he was the best thing-the best leader-for our village. It is amazing, is it not, how quickly opinions can change?" A sudden murmur of agreement ran through the crowd, and he continued. "We all knew Gaara-sama was a great Kage, especially after his abduction by the Akatsuki. His allowing Hinata-sama to come here is no different. Everything he does, he does in benefit of our village, and she is here to give us her knowledge. We need not be greedy, whiny, and petulant about this, even if our beliefs do conflict. Everyone here needs to hold their tongues and do their jobs. If you want to quit like Haruka-san, do it now, as Ayumu-san has said. If you are not here to learn, then you have no purpose here."_

_Finally, two more people-a nurse and a doctor-left, and the rest stood standing in support of their mentor and Kage, and after the last person had cleared out Ayumu turned to face Hinata once again with a smile. "You were saying?" _

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

Even with the encouragement that memory provided to the former heiress, Hinata had never been as nervous as she was right now. She was making her way to the Kazekage's offices, with Seiji-Kazekage-sama's assistant-in the lead, because she did not know the way to the Kage's office building as of yet. The two silently traveled through the bustling village at an even pace, yet it seemed like time was going backwards as they passed hopeful vendors beckoning at their wagons with offers of half price delicacies and trinkets, sales and specialties. With every step, Hinata's heartbeat grew more frantic, and she clutched the folder containing her written report even tighter to her chest as she walked. 'Breathe Hinata, breathe', her inner encouraged, as they entered the building. Seiji steadily led the way up several flights of stairs, occasionally greeting someone passing by with a friendly hello. Hinata tried to appreciate the bustling atmosphere of the work environment there, and even tried to admire the offices' interior design, but her nervousness won out and she eventually settled for trying to calm her inner agitation. Finally, when they came to a stop at the Kage's office door, Seiji turned to face the former Hyuuga heiress. "You need to wait here," he started, "Gaara-sama needs to be notified of your arrival."

Numbly, Hinata nodded her understanding. Pale as a sheet, she bit her lip to keep it from trembling, and Seiji, noticing her discomfort and apprehension, offered her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry," he offered, "Kazekage-sama is a good man now, and he is not as he used to be. Most of the stories you will hear concerning him are slanderous. Do not believe them." He flashed another smile of encouragement and moved toward the door.

Hinata, clearly shocked from Seiji's comments, replied, "But I'm not afraid of Kazekage-sama! I consider him a good friend-"

"Then why are you so pale?" Seiji chuckled, "You look as if you're about to have a heart attack."

At that, Hinata's cheeks rapidly gained a pink tinge from embarrassment. "Ah, I-I…well…" She desperately searched for an explanation.

"Yes," Seiji encouraged, a small smile on his face, "You…?"

Hinata ducked her head in embarrassment, suddenly reverting back to the shy little girl of twelve she once was. "I'm nervous about the meeting," she muttered, not sure why she was sharing this information with a total stranger, "I mean, some of the hospital staff still hate me and I don't-"

Seiji chuckled lightly, interrupting her mid-sentence. He smiled reassuringly at her when she lifted her gaze to meet his again and he promptly turned, taking one last step and closing the distance between himself and the door. "I see," he answered seriously, although Hinata could see he was barely containing a snicker. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he turned his head slightly in order to shoot her a happy smirk. "Then if I were you," he cheerfully offered, "I wouldn't be so worried." With that, the mischievous assistant had disappeared into the office, leaving an incredibly confused and irritated former heiress behind.

* * *

Gaara sighed to himself as he leaned back in his chair. He was sitting at his desk in his office, waiting for Hinata to begin her report. She was nervous, he could tell, but she was trying her best not to show it. Her posture was even more perfect than usual, and she held her head up high, but he could see the near-terror in her eyes. He knew this was her first solo mission in a foreign village, and so he could somewhat understand her fears-he was former jinchuuriki Gaara, after all-but she sat there waiting for him to begin looking as if she was standing in front of a firing squad. '_That_ much fear about a simple mission report?' Gaara thought to himself. He couldn't begin to fathom the origin of such strong anxiety.

"Hinata-san, do you need a glass of water?" The red head asked, concerned.

"Wha-What?" The former heiress snapped out of her reverie. "oh-OH!" she cried out, her eyes widening in realization. Immediately, her hands shot out, fumbling for her report, and she spouted her apologies. "Gaara-san, I am _so_ sorry. Please forgive my carelessness. I have the report right here, please just give me a moment. I really am sorry, I-"

"That's enough, Hinata," Gaara sighed, leaning forward from his previously reclined position in his chair, "It's understandable."

"But I-"

"Hinata," he interjected sternly, cutting her off, "really. It's fine."

Nearly pouting at his putting a stop to her verbal regret, she looked as if she had just been denied a toy she had really, really wanted her daddy to buy her. Trying to conceal a rare grin at her childishness, Gaara continued, "Are you ready to give your report now?"

With a sheepish expression plastered on her face, Hinata nodded.

"Good," Gaara said, back to business, "Then tell me about the staffing issues you've been having..."

Getting up from her seat, Hinata's limbs were numb. Honestly, how could Gaara bear to sit that long in his chair? Hinata had only been sitting for about 45 minutes, and her feet had already fallen asleep. A voice sounded, startling Hinata from her thoughts. "Hinata-san?" Gaara questioned, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Smiling, Hinata responded, "Yes Gaara-san, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

"Hn." The red head grunted, "Well, I'm afraid before I dismiss you we have another issue to discuss."

Hinata's head shot up-his statement had engaged her interest. Besides her mission at the hospital, what else could he possibly want to discuss with her?

"It seems," Gaara started, "that situations within the village aren't that great, especially with other villages' shinobis' presence. I would not normally ask this of anyone other than my own shinobi, but this seems to be a special case. Before your arrival, several members of Sunagakure's border patrol found the bodies of a mist genin team and their sensei, who was the son of one of a past Mizukage. I received intelligence late last night claiming that one of the bodies of the young genin contained a possible coded message. My own ANBU intelligence personnel tried to break the code, but didn't succeed. The message is weaved within layers of chakra, and it is meant to be broken and read only by someone who can see chakra paths clearly and try to redefine and reverse the patterns of chakra into a message. However, that would take someone with not only perfect chakra control, but someone who is able to see the chakra networks and know what methods and patterns of chakra the writer of the code used. Do you understand where I'm going with this?"

"Yes," Hinata nodded, "You want me to try to break the code?"

Solemnly, Gaara nodded. "Yes. I have a suspicion about what it says-," he broke off for a moment to lift his gaze from the papers on his desk to her face, studying it, and continued, "but I sincerely hope it is not true. However, for now, yes, that is all I need you to do. Since you have your Byakugan, it will be much easier and more time-effective for you to try to break the code than it would for my intelligence personnel to try to spend many tedious hours trying to unravel its contents. Since this is a matter of such importance, I want it to be solved as soon as possible. I'm sure you understand that." He sighed, tiredly dragging a hand over his face. "I understand that you are only here under Leaf's orders for a mission of a medicinal nature only, and you do not have to do this. I am only asking a favor from you, and honestly, I do not blame you if you decline. It would be helpful, however, if you agreed."

Hinata thought to herself for a moment, and then nodded. "I would be happy to help, Gaara-san," she smiled, "Our two villages are allies now-it is expected that we help each other out-and I'm sure Naruto-kun would not mind my helping you with this. I will do it."

Gaara gave her a small smile of relief. "Thank you, Hinata-san, really. Both myself and my village appreciate it."

Hinata waved her hand, dismissing his gratitude. "Don't worry about it," she shrugged, "I'm here to help." Smiling, she asked, "When do you want me to take a look at it?"

Gaara blinked, "Ah, I suppose you could start now if you wished…"

"Then that would be fine," the heiress chuckled, "if the matter is so important, I would rather get it done sooner rather than later, and I'm sure you would agree, Kazekage-sama."

Gaara was so astonished with her eagerness to help out his village he didn't even bother correcting her calling him Kazekage-sama again rather than his preferred name. Not many people would have accepted what she had just agreed to, let alone be ready to start on it right away, because they wouldn't be doing it for their own village. Hinata, he knew from their past meetings, was an uncommonly kind person, especially for a kunoichi, but every day this woman surprised him more and more. Rising from his seat, he motioned for her to follow him. "Come. I'll show you to where they're currently working." He bowed his head in thanks toward her, "Thank you again, Hinata-sama, for agreeing to this."

Hinata smiled once again and responded the only way she could; she wordlessly motioned for him to lead the way to where she would start her new "mission".

* * *

Heeeyyyyy guys!

Ha-ha I'm in a good mood….although I really don't know why. Lol! Anyways, I wanted to post this chapter, and I know it's really short, but this seemed like a good place to stop…it's a good cliffie(ish) spot. So I'm gonna just leave it at this. Be looking for a new update, which I hope to be soon, and thanks once again for being such loyal readers/fans/viewers….whatever you call yourselves.

-K.


	7. Revived!

Hey guys! Back again!

So here we go with Round 7! Hope you guys enjoy!

-K.

* * *

Hinata furrowed her brows in concentration, trying to pour more chakra into one of the fallen victims of the Mist village. Currently, she was working on decoding the message on a little girl-no younger than Hinata's own little sister, Hanabi, who had recently been promoted to chunin. Almost instantly, Hinata was reminded of the very real possibility that Hanabi could end up like this, and when she gazed down at the deceased girl's long, brown tresses of hair, she resisted the urge to sob. Now was not the time. She had to decode the message imprinted on these victims for Gaara-kun. They had to know what these children and their sensei were trying to tell them, even in death.

'Got it!' Hinata inwardly sighed in relief. She couldn't stand doing this for much longer. It made her want to cry, looking at these people and knowing their lives were over…

…or not. Hinata's eyes widened with shock. This wasn't a coded message! Rather, it was some sort of jutsu...Chakra was weaved in between all four of the victim's bodies; four different kinds of chakra, binding each other together. Hinata could practically feel the vibration of the chakra working together. She had never seen anything like it! The way the chakra was patterned, weaving together, was also unique. It took on the shape of a lotus flower, concentric circles and different shapes carefully strewn together. One of these victims had to have perfect chakra control, and had to perform this jutsu at the right moment to make their deaths look real.

It was brilliant! The chakra sustained life at an absolute minimum level-kept the hearts beating just enough so that a pulse could not be detected, but the body could still have enough blood pumping to survive. Oxygen was provided by the Chakra absorbing it from the air around them, and creating a sort of delivery system for it when the chakra circulated throughout the body. And somehow, the chakra never ran out. It was an endless cycle; the Chakra would be absorbed from the air around them-more specifically, the water from the air around them. That was another big hint-whoever had performed this jutsu was definitely a water and wind user. Meanwhile, while the chakra was also being pulled from the environment, the chakra bonds would release just enough chakra that it would create a sort of unique genjutsu; whoever would see their bodies would immediately identify them as dead. It was a flawless last-ditch defense system.

And entirely reversible.

Hinata stopped pushing chakra into their chests, and instead performed the necessary seals and muttered, "Byakugan", thus activating her bloodline limit. She read the pattern of the chakra carefully-truthfully, it was ingenious-and carefully lowered her hands to a central weak spot. Rather than an occasional burst of chakra, like what be expected to be in coded messages, this was a constant cycle of chakra. It was like trying to push through a wall with another wall. However, everything had a weak spot, even walls-if you knew where to look. With her Byakugan activated, Hinata sent several large bursts of her own Chakra into each of their hearts. The only way to disrupt the chakra's control over the victims' hearts was to get them all to beat on their own. Hinata was trying to override their chakra with her own and break the pattern.

It wasn't easy. At all. She spent several hours hitting the spots over and over with her own chakra until she was almost unable to stand on her own. She knew, however, that she had to do this, and that it was possible to bring them back. That thought alone kept her going. She was close, she knew. The chakra's pattern was much weaker than what it was when she had first started. So, with that, she summoned up enough remaining chakra and sent a last few bursts into the sensei's heart.

Four distinct gasps were heard as the four formerly deceased Mist ninja's took a deep breath of oxygen. Their eyes fluttered open, and the female moved to sit up, clutching her stomach while coughing. The sensei took in their surroundings instantly, and he was also shocked. He turned to one of the guards posted at the door and asked, "Where are we?" The only response he got from the two Sunian guards' was the dropping of their jaws, their mouths going slack with shock. None of the six seemed to really know how to snap out of their astounded state until Hinata finally slumped to the floor, almost all of her chakra expended.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, the Mist girl lunged for the Hyuuga, and managed to catch her before she hit the ground. "Hey!" the girls' eyes widened as she tried to get the Sunian guards' attention, "She needs some help! Get a medic!"

Instantly, the guards took action. One of them immediately hurried out of the room and ran to get help, while the other lunged for the fallen Hyuuga and picked her up bridal style. The other three Mist ninja were off of their feet in an instant, ready to help, and suddenly none other than the Godaime Kazekage came crashing through the door. He took one look at the unconscious Hyuuga, and she was instantly in his arms, his hand cradling her head into his chest. After hurriedly making sure she was breathing, he quickly identified the problem-she was chakra deprived. Several medics then came barreling through the door and made a beeline for Hinata. Once they had given their diagnosis and ordered that she get some rest, Gaara finally breathed a sigh of relief and took his eyes off the Hyuuga girls' now-identified-as-sleeping face. It was then that he looked around the room and took in the four previously deceased Mist nin now standing alert in front of him, and Gaara's eyes widened. What the Hell did Hinata do?

* * *

Several hours later, Gaara sat in his office, replaying everything that had happened during that day over in his mind. Firstly, he had had his meeting with Hinata, which had gone well. He had asked her, as a favor, to decode a hidden chakra message on four deceased Mist ninjas, and instead she had _somehow_ managed to re-animate them, and had nearly drained herself of all her chakra in the process. After they had taken her to her room to rest, with two guards posted outside her bedroom door to let him know when she woke up, he had requested to speak with the four Mist nin separately so he could try to make sense of the attack. Once he had, it had become apparent that he now had a problem.

**FLASHBACK**

_Gaara sat at his desk, respectfully addressing his unexpected guest with a speech he had uttered so many times before. "I, Godaime Kazekage Gaara, welcome you to the village of Suna. Once we are done here, you will have a room to yourself and as soon as I get in touch with your own Kage we will figure out what needs to be done. However, you are welcome to stay here in the meantime." Gaara tried his best to look as friendly as possible. "But first, I am going to need to know your name."_

_The man, in his mid-to-late 30's, bowed his head respectfully and responded, "I am Shigekazu Nakamura, Kazekage-sama. Thank you for your hospitality. My team and I are grateful."_

_Gaara merely nodded his head in acknowledgement. The man seemed sincere, not that Gaara was worried about that. He would be grateful too, if he were in that situation. However, he still had to know some things about the attack. So, he continued, "Very well. Welcome to Suna, Shigekazu. I am afraid that is not all I called you in here for, however."_

_Shigekazu nodded his understanding, "You need to know about the attack on us."_

_Gaara nodded gravely._

_Sighing, Shigekazu ran a hand tiredly over his face, and began, "We weren't far from the south edge of this village. My charges and I were heading towards Iwagakure for a mission; I can't get any more specific on the details of the mission than that, Kazekage-sama, but I can assure you that its nature was no threat in any way to Suna or any resident of the village."_

_Gaara appraised his expression, and found no hint of lies. He nodded his acceptance and motioned for him to continue. _

"_As I had previously mentioned, we were on the South edge of the border, and we had were setting up camp for the night. One of my charges was out gathering wood and discovered several different chakra trails heading into the surrounding area. I recognized two of them; they are two past acquaintances of mine. They are both now labeled as traitors of the Mist. One was never a Mist ninja, though-he was a native of the cloud. This now-rogue Cloud nin killed my father, Mizukage Shige, and the other was my former sensei. We did not recognize the third chakra, but when we later engaged the three in battle, we learned it was a woman by the name of Chiasa. She specializes in fire and wind techniques. She also had this ability…I don't know how to describe it. It was incredible though, and deadly. I think-as crazy as this may sound, I really do believe this-it had to so with spirit energy. I have no idea how it works or what it does, but she is very powerful. Do not underestimate her. As for the other two, the first man I mentioned-the Cloud nin-goes by the name of Raiden, and he seemed to be the leader of the three." Shigekazu shrugged, "But I am not sure who is the leader, honestly. They are all twisted and evil in their own individual ways, and they are dangerous because of it. Raiden specializes in lightening style attacks, but also can use earth and fire. The second male, my old sensei," Shigekazu grimaced, "is named Arashi. He uses lightening style techniques also, but his affinities are for wind and water. All three are extremely clever and vicious, and they seem to be out for power, but I am not certain. They are here for a reason, though. Before we engaged them in battle, we were spying on their conversation, trying to gain intel. That was the order I gave to my students-only listen, don't engage-but we were caught and had to fight anyway. We learned that they are here for power, indeed. They mentioned kidnapping someone-a woman, specifically-but they didn't know a name yet. They wanted to gain her bloodline limit-an ocular jutsu, from the sound of it. I know not who she is or what ocular jutsu they speak of. We failed to stay hidden long enough." He bowed his head regretfully. "I am truly sorry I could not be of more help, Kazekage-sama."_

_Gaara merely sat there, nearly frozen in shock. He had a pretty good idea of who their target was, and which woman they were going to try to kidnap. He also had a pretty good idea that he would never allow it to happen, either. _

"_Thank you, Shigekazu, you have been a tremendous help already. Is there anything else that you wish to tell me?" Gaara soberly questioned._

_Shigekazu thought to himself for a minute, sincerely trying to remember if he had left anything out. Finally he shook his head, answering in the negative. _

_Gaara nodded and said, "If you think of anything else of importance, let me know at once. And thank you. You are dismissed."_

_Shigekazu bowed his head, got up from his seat, and walked toward the door. Before he reached it, however, he turned around to face Gaara again and bowed low once more, then finally left the room._

**END FLASHBACK**

It seemed like Gaara now had a legitimate dilemma. This attack _was_ a threat to Sunian security-and Konoha's as well. She was a member-a former _heir_-of one of their most prestigious clans, and their kekkei genkai was at risk. Gaara had to send a letter immediately to Konoha about this. Naruto and the Hyuuga clan would want to know.

He also had to send one to Mizugakure. They would want to know that their comrades were alive and well. Gaara resisted the urge to growl in irritation. He still had no idea what had happened with their sudden "re-birth". They had been pronounced dead, damn it! What had Hinata managed to do to _bring them back to life_?

Speaking of Hinata, Gaara was instantly reminded of her chakra situation. He knew she was upstairs sleeping, but he so desperately wanted her to be awake and healthy. He remembered receiving the alert cry of the guards outside the morgue's observatory room, and how he instantly set off, thinking only of Hinata. He remembered seeing her unconscious in that guards arms, and how his heart clenched, fearing the worst. Most importantly, though, he remembered how relieved he had been when he found that she was still breathing, but just exhausted. He remembered how his heart had warmed when he gazed down at her tired, peaceful face as she slept and pressed her closer to his face.

Gaara was confused. He was aware of his…attraction to the Hyuuga woman, but just how deep did his attraction run for it to be _this_ bad?

Before he could get a chance to completely sort himself out though, he was interrupted by a knock at the door. Resisting the urge to grit his teeth with annoyance, he took a few moments to compose himself before muttering, "Come in" in his usual monotone.

The door opened to reveal a barely rested Hinata. Her hair was somewhat disheveled and her clothes were crumpled. 'She had just rolled out of bed and came straight here,' Gaara concluded. That aching feeling began to reappear in his chest, but Gaara pushed it away. He didn't have time to deal with this now.

"Hinata," Gaara greeted, his tone somewhat more relieved than he would have liked, "I'm glad you're awake. You should be resting, though." He frowned in slight worry.

"I'm fine, Gaara," an exhausted Hyuuga replied, "I've rested enough. I just came down here to tell you about the Mist nin."

Gaara resisted the urge to snort. "I am aware of their…re-animation," Gaara almost laughed at the idea that he didn't, what with all the trouble they had been causing this afternoon, "but what I don't know is how you managed it." He finished.

"Re-animation?" Hinata asked in confusion, "Hardly. It was a jutsu, and not one like I've ever seen before."

Gaara leaned forward, interested. "A jutsu?" He asked skeptically, "How would a jutsu kill someone and bring them back to life?"

Hinata shook her head, "It wouldn't-it didn't. It was so complex, I'm not even sure I understand it all." Nevertheless, the Hyuuga woman did her best to explain the process and what she had found to the Kazekage. As she went on, Gaara's eyes grew wider and wider, and by the end he was almost as uncomposed as he had ever been in his entire life. What she had just described to him was incredible! If his village had that kind of power on their hands, they could take prisoners without struggle; they could increase their chances of escape from lose-lose battle situations. The possibilities were endless.

What was even more astounding, however, was the fact that Hinata was not only able to correctly figure this out, but read the pattern of Chakra, find the various weak spots and break the jutsu on four different people-all in just one day.

That was nothing short of incredible, and it was then that Gaara realized some things about her that he should have realized a long time ago. One, she was strong-immensely strong. Two, he held an incredible amount of respect for her. And three, with his heart swelling with warmth that it had never felt before, he finally realized that he was, in fact, in love with her-completely and irreversibly, and desperately in love with her.

"Thank you, Hinata," Gaara managed, despite his shock at both what she had said and what he had just realized, "You did…_brilliantly_ today."

Hinata frowned, "But I need to check on them and make sure they're alright…"

Gaara resisted the urge to laugh. Even now she was worrying about everyone but herself.

"Hinata, I think it's best if you went back to bed. Also, you will get the next few days off in order to regain your strength and to take some time off and enjoy yourself. It is not a punishment," he interjected, seeing her open her mouth to protest, "but rather a reward. It is a way of saying thank you for your efforts."

Hinata stayed silent, and barely nodded her head in acceptance. He could tell she wanted to argue with his statement; she was biting her bottom lip to keep herself from giving any form of protest. His lips curled up into a small smile, despite his attempts at trying to hold it back. She was so cute when she did that.

Which reminded him-he still needed to speak with her about the potential threat on her life. It could possibly happen-the kidnapping, that is-and even though he would do everything in his power to keep that from happening, she still needed to be prepared for it.

"Before I dismiss you, I do need to speak with you on an important matter first. However, it can wait. It is your choice." Gaara offered, knowing she was exhausted.

Hinata nodded somberly, and replied, "Go ahead and tell me now. I'm fine."

Gaara closed his eyes and took a moment to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to frighten her any more than necessary. Eventually he started, "Today while you were resting, I spoke with each of the four Mist nin you helped today, to try to figure out what had happened to them. They told me that they had met three incredibly strong rogue nin outside the village and engaged them. However, prior to their fight, they had a chance to listen in on what the rogues had been discussing. It seems they are conceiving a plot to kidnap someone in this area who bears a unique ocular kekkei genkai, and they want to use this person for power. After hearing each of their testimonies, I have a pretty good idea that it is you that the rogues want. Therefore, I want you to be on your guard at all times. You never know what could happen. I will be providing you with protection-two guards will be with you at all times, and if we get wind of something coming this way, that number will increase and the village will be on high alert. You will be protected in the event of an attempted kidnapping."

He had been studying Hinata's face carefully throughout his speech. If he had thought she was shocked earlier at the Mist nin's revival, she was infinitely more so at this new information. However, she kept her face composed and neutral throughout. He was proud of her.

"In addition to receiving these guards," Gaara continued, "I wish for you to engage in routine training with me. I will teach you some new techniques in order to better defend yourself. I believe you are a water and wind user?"

Hinata slowly nodded.

"Well, water won't help you much out here, but I can at least help you with your wind techniques. That will have to do for now." Gaara finished. "Would you be willing to train with me?"

"Ah-Yes Kazekage-sama," Hinata stuttered, her jaw resisting the urge to drop in shock. The _Kazekage_ was offering to _train_ her and tutor _her_ on a _mission_? Heck yes she wanted in on this!

Gaara resisted the urge to dance with joy. She had accepted his offer! But why had he been so nervous about her refusing his training in the first place? Sheesh! He rolled his eyes. He was so stupid when it came to her.

"You are dismissed then, Hinata. Thank you informing me of the situation. Now get some rest and great job today. Really." He said, sincerely.

Hinata just yawned and nodded. She got up and headed toward the door, and within a few seconds, she was gone.

Gaara put his head in his hands, sighing deeply. When he finally collected himself, he looked back up and glanced at his clock. It was getting late. Thankful that he could go home soon, he sighed again and moved to pick up and pen and some paper. Deciding to start with the letter to Naruto first, he tried to think of what to write. He was only drawing blanks, however, because only one thought was racing through his mind, repeating itself over and over again.

"…What a day. What a day. What a day."

* * *

No comment. Just tell me what you guys think and leave me things!

-K.


	8. Lessons, Bonding & The life of a Ninja!

Here's chapter 8! Hope you enjoy!

-K.

* * *

The sun was just now rising over the many hills of sand that adorned Suna. It was early-too early in the morning for some-but nevertheless the sounds of scuffling, small explosions and yells of battle echoed throughout the area, along with the telltale grunts and groans of discomfort and pain at Suna's most remote training grounds. It is here that two young shinobi of differing nations are training relentlessly, and it is here that our next chapter begins.

"Kyaa!" A soft, feminine voice punctuated the otherwise quiet atmosphere, and the cry was almost simultaneously accompanied by the crunching sound of bones coming in contact. When the cloud of sand finally settled, the kunoichi who had delivered the assault was bent over, her hands on her knees. She was panting for breath.

A flash of a shadow flickered behind her, and suddenly the dark shape was airborne, looming over her head. "Do not let your guard down, Hinata," the shadow growled out before it lurched downward to strike, "or you will be too easy of a target."

The shadow brought his arm down on the smaller kunoichi, his elbow making a hard impact on the girls' skull. A resounding crack echoed throughout the landscape as the shadow stuck and then settled on the ground. The light had finally made its way over the dunes, and now reflected the former shadow's face, and it was none other than the Godaime Kazekage. His red hair was dusty, with random sand particles spread throughout his crimson locks. Dirt was streaked across his face and clothes, giving him a rugged appearance. His eyes were the same familiar sea green which his villagers had at first learned to fear, and then respect. Gaara had never understood their fear before, or what it felt like.

He understood now, though. His entire body screamed it.

"Hinata!" He gasped out as he fell to his knees. "Hinata! Are you alright-" He took in the crack on her skull, and the blood running from the wound he had caused. Her eyes were closed, she was unconscious, and she wasn't breathing. The sight was terrible and gruesome. He tried to control his panic. He had thought that she would move out of the way; it had been a simple enough attack. Really, he should have-

"Release!"

The slumped, injured Hinata disappeared from his arms, and Gaara's eyes widened with sudden realization. He suddenly found himself on his knees, his arms pinned to his sides, and a kunai to his throat.

"Really, Gaara," a horribly familiar and at the moment angelic voice muttered from right behind his ear, "you shouldn't have let your guard down like that."

A click was heard, and his weapons pouch dropped from around his waist to the ground.

"It makes you too easy of a target," the Kunoichi finished, fighting to keep from giggling and the overall tone of laughter out of her voice. The sight of Gaara as surprised as he was now was just too much. He was face-down on his knees, and although he was facing away from her, she could plainly see his astonishment. It was just hilarious to think that he had probably underestimated her-exactly as everyone else had all her life-and he had just been proven wrong. Hinata was amused-and proud-at the same time.

"Enough," Gaara firmly stated, as he skillfully removed her kunai from its former position around his throat and pushed her off of him. For reasons he himself didn't understand, Gaara had to resist the urge to laugh for the first time in his life. Before today, he had never really felt the need to laugh or enjoy a joke, but today…

Still giggling, Hinata stood up from her position now several feet away from him, and exclaimed, "Good! I was going to ask for a break; I'm starting to get tired," She stood up the rest of the way and took in Gaara's expression. His face was solemn, and while he hadn't exactly ever been an open book over the past few weeks he had been certainly much more open to Hinata. Now he appeared to be like he was several years ago. Suddenly Hinata was concerned.

"Gaara? Are you okay?" She asked, clearly bothered by his lack of reply. "Gaara?"

Gaara barely turned his head in her direction and said in reply, "I am fine, Hinata-san. If you wish for a break, we may rest a few minutes."

Hinata slowly made her way over to a spot of ground in the distance, and she gracefully sank to the ground, elegantly crossing her legs at the ankle so that her delicate feet were facing him. As if Gaara hadn't been distracted enough before at her beauty, but now she was practically (although admittedly unknowingly) flaunting it. It was just unfair, damn it!

'Back to the point,' Gaara inwardly chastised himself, 'now is not the time!'

Throughout the duration of this training session, Hinata had taught him many things…how not to underestimate someone, how not to be too confident in his own techniques and he even got a glimpse into the power of her genjutsu's. He should have known better on that last point, he admitted. She was the student of Kurenai Yuhi, perhaps one of the most renowned genjutsu specialists within all the nations. He was a fool for not realizing that.

Although, the most precious lesson he had learned from the Hyuuga today was that he had trouble with separating emotions from duty. In the past, it was something he had never really had to worry about-he only cared for himself, lived for himself. He was his only reason for existing. He had never before cared about someone so much as to totally panic when they got injured in the middle of a battle-whether it be a spar or not. He now knew that he had much to work on-emotionally, anyway-and that it would be a long, daunting task.

Not that he wouldn't do it.

He glanced over at Hinata, who was rubbing her now tan legs, sighing to herself in a peaceful sort of gesture. She had closed her eyes and was leaning back on her arms, taking in the warmth of the early morning's sun's rays of light. She looked like a goddess in human form.

Gaara looked down at his own callused and weathered hands, turning them over so he could examine them. They were bruised and beaten from the hard work of the rigorous training he had undergone in the past few years. When Shukaku was extracted from his body, a great portion of his chakra and his ability to control sand had disappeared along with the sand demon. Therefore, the Kage had to learn a great deal of shinobi moves and techniques in a very limited amount of time. He trained restlessly and almost absurdly, working himself to exhaustion often and depriving himself of not only sleep, but of meals and liquids as well. He had worked himself to an almost suicidal point, though, for one reason and one reason alone-his village. He was the Kazekage, and if he was weak, if he let them down, then who was he to hold that title? His predecessors (and yes, even his father-regrettably) had all earned that title, and he had been given it because of a demon contained inside him who had given him an almost insane amount of chakra. When he had been "reanimated" and brought back home, he thought of one thing and one thing only-Naruto. Had his blonde, crazy leaf friend not said, over and over, that he would fight until he was good enough, that he would _earn _the title of Hokage that he cherished and wanted more than his own life?

When Gaara had thought of it that way, his own appointment to Kazekage seemed a lot like cheating. Therefore, to his siblings' and his sensei's great astonishment, he had asked them for their help and guidance in learning how to become a good shinobi. In essence, the poor Kage had to start over his shinobi career from scratch, but now he was an even better shinobi than he was when Shukaku had once thrived within him. He understood many more concepts, and many more things than he had when he was a crazy insomniac with a nearly unquenchable bloodlust.

Yes, he knew that he had learned many things in the past few years, but it seemed he had much more still to learn. As he gazed at the beautiful Hyuuga girl, he knew soon enough, she would supply him with new questions and answers.

The Godaime Kazekage Gaara also realized, as he not so fondly remembered his defeat by said beauty only moments ago, that he had also just found something besides his village and siblings to protect-and that he would be willing to protect with his life.

* * *

**2 MONTHS LATER:**

"Higher!" Gaara bellowed as he leapt backward, narrowly avoiding Hinata's gentle fist attack, "You won't hit me if you aim at my stomach!"

"But I don't want to hit you!" The Hyuuga breathed, "If I did it would really cause you serious damage!"

Gaara's lips twitched-he was trying to keep from laughing-but when the seriousness of her words hit him, he instead settled into a frown. "Hinata," he started, "Stop for a minute."

Hinata stopped, and stood a few feet in front of him, clearly puzzled with his request to stop. They had just begun training about 10 minutes ago, surely he couldn't have been tired-

"Hinata, why are you afraid to hit me?" Gaara questioned, confused, "We are sparring-the point is to practice our techniques. Even if you did accidentally hit somewhere that would cause me serious damage, the village is not too far from here and you are a highly skilled medic ninja. I'm confident that you would be able to heal me in time." He was truly puzzled by her comment and honestly wanted to know why she would be afraid of such a thing.

"Uh-well, because I-ah…" The Hyuuga suddenly lost her confident edge, and reverted back to her younger, stuttering self for a moment-although thankfully she didn't press her fingers together anymore like she used to. She had broken that habit. "Well, you see, I-"

Gaara suddenly took a few steps toward her, his confused expression becoming one of concern. "Hinata, are you-"

"I don't want to hurt you!" Hinata suddenly blurted out, and then covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. "My family's jutsu causes some serious damage to the heart-it can kill a man with one blow-and I've been on the receiving end of that attack. I know how it feels, and I've been experiencing the aftereffects of it for years now-don't tell Neji-nii-san, please!" Her sad, somber expression suddenly turned to one of pleading, "He'll worry, and he'll take it out on himself again. Please don't tell him!"

Gaara was, for one, astounded. The fact that she could be worried about damaging his heart was one thing, but begging him not to tell her cousin that his attack on her in the past had had lasting effects on her heart? She really was something else.

That was Gaara's second major lesson Hinata had taught him-that people can have weaknesses that are not only physical, like they were taught in the Academy, but people can have emotional weaknesses too for the people that they care about. Naruto had always spouted that nonsense since they were both young-chunin exam time young-but Gaara had not always been able to comprehend the exact meaning of Naruto's "Precious people" speech. Now, Gaara understood though. People can have weaknesses for the people they care about-or that they love-that can't be seen by the physical. It was part of the reason he himself was so willing to defend his village, his siblings, and even Hinata to his own death-because they were all precious to him.

And now he understood that Hinata's own greatest weakness was her heart.

* * *

**2 MONTHS AFTER THAT-4 MONTHS TOTAL SINCE THE MIST TEAM'S REVIVAL**

Gaara hurriedly made it through the hallways of his office at a brisk pace, nearly running down a few people in the process. Of course, the people he nearly bowled over immediately bowed and backed away, muttering apologies. At any other time if this had happened Gaara would have stopped and at least apologized for his rude behavior, but he just didn't have the time today. He was late for a very important meeting as a result of his last training session with Hinata. An involuntary smile crossed his lips as he crossed the threshold into the lobby that contained his assistant Seiji's workspace, and the doorway to his own office. He paraded through the lobby without a second thought, the smile still unknowingly fixed on his face. He nodded at Seiji to allow his next appointment to see him within moments, and he disappeared through the door to his office, his mind still thinking only of Hinata and their morning together.

It was too bad he didn't notice Seijis' knowing smile or the twinkle of knowledge in his eye. It was too bad that he hadn't thought about all of the important parties he had been missing, especially since he had been squeezing in Hinata's training with his Kazekage duties. Although what was perhaps the worst thing was that he hadn't been paying attention to exactly what Seiji had been doing with all of his messages concerning Hinata. It seemed that several of the clan heads and eligible bachelors of Suna had sent in their requests to receive permission to court the lovely ambassador from the Leaf. Seiji, knowing that although there was nothing between his Kage and the woman (for now, at least) still did not want to upset his Kage (friend) any more than necessary. Some of them he had stealthily sneaked into the trash, but others he kept wrapped up in a rubber band, and hidden in a drawer in his desk. He had originally planned to throw them all away, but Seiji knew his Kage was not a forward person, and one day he might need a little…encouragement to court the beautiful woman. So, Seiji kept a steadily growing pile of envelopes in his drawer, hoping that soon the redhead would find them. Not only was time running out for Hinata and his Kage to get together, but Seiji's drawer was starting to get full. It seemed everyone wanted a piece of the beautiful Hyuuga woman from the leaf.


	9. Here Comes Trouble!

Back! So here is the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy!

-K.

* * *

"Again! We have to circle the entire perimeter-you know that! Come on, move it!" Several shouts rang out from the outskirts of the village of Suna. Several groups of Sand ANBU were circling the outsides of the village every few minutes, as they had been the last few weeks. The village had been put on yellow alert for the duration of this time, warning of impending trouble, but the inevitable irritation rising in the ranks of the Sand ANBU was becoming more and more apparent. Why was Kazekage-sama having them keep this up? Nothing had been spotted for _weeks_, and it was growing wearisome to keep circling the village like this every day. Really, if something was out there, it would have made itself known before now. Any sensible man would have called off this state of alert _weeks_ ago…

"BOOM!"

A cloud of sand rose from the point of the explosion, sending a plume of tan smoke towards the sky. The ANBU darted around the crater in the sand skillfully, although a few of them had to hang back from the explosion and were stuck for a few precious seconds behind their teammates. Thankfully, as the team surveyed the other members of their group, none of them appeared to be injured. There appeared to be no one in the clearing besides themselves, but that didn't fool the Sand village ANBU. They were here somewhere. The leader of the group yelled out confidently, "Show yourself, you cowards!" The others were already quietly mumbling into their earpieces, letting other ANBU and their superiors know of the situation.

"Hmph. He is a cocky one, isn't he Raiden-sama?" A man stepped out of the clearing, a cunning smirk plastered on his face.

"Yes, I daresay he is, Arashi-san," another man stepped out of the clearing. His tone suggested that he was at great ease with his surroundings, and his tone even contained a happy lilt. "Shall we?" The man-Raiden, as the ANBU had heard the other man address him-grinned, and in a split second the two were gone.

For a second, the ANBU team was in shock, but then they snapped back into action. Now screaming into their earpieces, they took off after the two rogue nin in the direction they thought they had traveled. However, they knew it wouldn't be easy. The two had left absolutely no chakra trail to follow, and none of the ANBU within the group could catch their scent.

* * *

Inside the Kazekage's office, Gaara fought the urge to hit something. Hard.

The bastards were finally here. They were here to take Hinata.

While Gaara was somewhat relived by this-now he wouldn't be worrying constantly about when it would happen or if he could protect her from them-he was _furious_ at the notion that they actually had enough gall to go through with it. They would _not_ in _any_ way hurt Hinata. He simply wouldn't allow it.

On a much lesser scale than his anger, though, Gaara was absolutely astounded at their idiocy. After all of these years as Kazekage, someone was honestly stupid enough to go through with something like this? He thought he had shown everyone before when the Akatsuki had attacked his village, and when Matsuri, his beloved student was kidnapped, that he would die to protect things important to him.

Gaara had _thought _he'd made his point. You didn't touch things that were _his_. Period.

Although he now supposed he didn't quite make his point get through to everyone. No matter; He would now.

When a team of his ANBU had radioed in that they had engaged two rogue nin by the name of Arashi and Raiden, Gaara instantly leapt from his seat, screaming for the ANBU messengers to get Hinata in his Kazekage offices' building. With all the ninja constantly swarming the place, she would be safe for the time being. There was even a hidden tunnel system underneath the building filled with supplies, clothes, and bedding for his employees in the event of a crisis. It was one of his better ideas. After all, when an enemy attacks the village, they expect to see the Kage and his affiliates in the streets, the former protecting the village and the latter running home to gather some things before evacuating. This way, they would be protected faster, and they would have some time to gather or destroy precious documents that the enemy nin could be after. This way he had an _enormous_ advantage.

He had been informed a few minutes ago that the two ANBU he had sent to her had made contact with her; they were waiting on her to pack a few things so that they could bring her back to the office building. Knowing that she had two ANBU with her was a huge relief, and Gaara quickly assembled a weapons pouch and reached for his gourd and coat. Without another worry or thought, he ran out the door to assist his ninja in the capture of the two scum who dared challenge the Kazekage of the Sand and his girl.

* * *

Hinata hurriedly gathered her belongings into the small pack she had brought with her from Konoha. Two ANBU had just showed up at her door and informed her of their orders: they were to take her to the Kazekage's office building until the red alert that the Kazekage had just placed on the village was lifted. The streets were clearing rapidly as people were hurriedly trying to make their way off the streets. Ninja were running around the village, ensuring the civilians were safe and everything in the village was indeed locked down. Of course, they kept an eye out for the rogue ninja as well, but they knew that the ANBU and the Kazekage were trailing the enemy nin at this very moment. Hinata knew of this situation firsthand-she and her teammates had been doing the same thing when the attack came on the leaf during the chuunin exams and the third Hokage had died. A feeling of great sadness overtook her at that thought, and almost as quickly as the former had come, another thought took its place and she went into a near panic. What if that happened to Gaara? Here? Now?

_Today?_

The thought refused to leave her, and her body started to shake violently with fear. What would she do if anything happened to him?

Ever since she had come to Suna, she had been feeling an inexplicable attraction to the Kazekage. Although she _knew_ she shouldn't allow herself to feel such a thing, it had just happened, and she had no control over it. Over the past few months and during their training sessions, the kunoichi couldn't help but feel closer to the former jinchuuriki. Oh, who was she kidding? She was in love with him!

She had known that from the start, but oddly enough, didn't want to come to terms with it until now. After all, if she had, how could she have faced him? She probably never would have admitted it to herself, either-at least until now. Apparently the threat of losing something you love really does open your eyes.

Hinata shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She needed to focus, and finish packing. Her ANBU guards outside her door were waiting for her.

…but did she really want to go with them?

She was a perfectly capable kunoichi-foreign or not-and whether Gaara wanted to admit it or not, she needed to be out there to help his village. Biting her lip, Hinata took a few precious seconds to make a decision. If she went with the ANBU guards outside her door, she would be safe, she knew, but would feel like a burden. If she disobeyed the Kazekage's orders, however, she would not only find herself in a lot of trouble, but it could perhaps forever damage his trust towards her. If she did disobey him though, she would be able to help save his village. As a fellow ninja, she understood the importance of the latter.

Stealthily she made her way toward her open window and carefully dropped to the ground beneath the ledge, so she wouldn't attract her two ANBU guards' attention.

* * *

Chiasa circled the perimeter again one more time before speeding off toward the village. She had to wait on those two idiot teammates of hers-Arashi and Raiden-to create a big enough distraction that would divert a majority of the more powerful nin away from the village after them. Her mission was a simple one, yet an important one-no matter how inane it sounded, as Raiden had professed many times. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, as she drew ever closer to her destination. Honestly, how ridiculous was this-she a fully grown and powerful kunoichi, having to do something as stupid as this? Sure, she volunteered for it, but it was only for the girls' own sake, if that. She knew if she sent Arashi to do this, he wouldn't be able to control himself, and as for Raiden-Chiasa resisted the urge to shudder. Yes, it was much better this way.

Finally, she had reached her destination. The trip there had been fairly easy. Only a few chuunin had seen her running, but with a quick genjutsu, they had been dealt with. They were only asleep though, and would wake up within the hour. Unlike her reckless, power-hungry teammates, she hated taking lives unless absolutely necessary.

Chiasa peered around the corner of the building she was currently braced against, making sure the coast was clear before proceeding towards her ultimate destination. The kazekage's mansion, eh? The girl must have known how to make an impression, if she was being allotted a room in luxury like this.

She slipped past the few outpost guards placed around the house with ease; they were good, but not good enough to notice her suppressed spirit chakra. Chiasa resisted the urge to smirk-spirit chakra was the strongest and most potent of all chakras. According to her clan's scrolls, it harnessed and controlled the energy given off by the soul. Chakra of the body was the most common form of chakra, but when that was completely used up, the user was dead. The village hidden in the leaf was the closest group of shinobi to come close to harnessing the spirit's chakra, because of their ideals of the "will of fire". When a loved one was in danger, they were able to tap into their spirit chakra to an extent, but it was still nothing compared to what an experienced spirit user could do. Hers had been of the few clans to use it, until they were wiped out by the attacks of the Bijuu. It was a rare technique nowadays, and not many knew of it, let alone knew of its weaknesses. Still, it made for some rather boring battles, in her opinion, when her opponents stood no chance from the very beginning.

There. Chiasa's eyes narrowed. The girls' window was on the third floor-not too terribly high for a ninja. Gathering chakra to her feet, she ran towards the building, and pushed off from the ground, shifting her weight from the ground to her chakra-laden feet. She was now scaling the wall with ease, and within seconds she had hopped into the girl's open window with absolutely no complications. It seemed as though everyone had abandoned the room, although it hadn't been long ago. There were no chakra signatures outside the door-or on the entire floor, in fact. Her eyes narrowed and mild skepticism soon replaced the woman's suspicious look. There were no guards anywhere nearby, no one on the entire _floor_, and the girl didn't booby-trap her room? Interesting. After a quick sweep of the room, though, she noticed the girl's bag-still opened-with its' contents nearly spilling out of it.

'So, the girl left in a hurry,' Chiasa deduced, 'but her weapons are gone. Hmm…she must have rebelled against orders.' Chiasa resisted the urge to smile. She hadn't even met the kid yet, but instantly Chiasa knew this girl was something else.

Realizing she was pressed for time, the rogue kunoichi hurriedly slipped the note she had been ordered to deliver out of her jacket pocket, and glanced about the room for a decent place to hide it.

'I can't put it anywhere someone might easily find it, but it has to be somewhere the girl can find it soon enough-ah-ha!' Chiasa bit her lip, suppressing her delight. Her luck couldn't have been any better. Delicately, the rogue kunoichi stepped forward and placed the envelope amongst the contents of the Hyuuga girl's opened bag. It was perfect-the note was not in plain sight of anyone's vision, but she knew as soon as the girl unpacked her things, the note would fall out. As for the fact that anyone could be in the room while the Hyuuga girl discovered the note, well…that was a risk she was going to have to take. There was nowhere else in the room that provided such an obvious opportunity as that opened bag.

Stealthily, Chiasa once again made her way over to the opened window, and this time did not hesitate as she dropped to the ground and began her retreat.

* * *

Fin!

(For this chapter, anyway.)

HAHAHA I got you guys good, didn't I?

Muahahahahahaha….yeah, I know. I didn't. I suck. But whatever.

Now back to the point! Sorry I haven't updated for forever and a day, but…yeah. You don't want to hear the excuses anyway. Haha! Just be sure to tell me what you think of the chapter and LET ME KNOW. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY, REVIEWWWW! *whines*

I know that this is a short chapter, but its more suspense-y, and I reaaalllyyy want to get this posted. :P lol. There'll be more when I update next time, I swear! Pinky promise!

Yeah, I'm in a weird mood today, so I'm going to stop typing before I weird anymore of you out lol.

As always, I will update (hopefully) soon!

-K.


	10. Aftermath & Apprehension of a Criminal

Hey!

Sorry for the wait-although you won't want to hear the excuses, I'll at least tell you them in the ending comments. :P

Well, in any case, though, sorry for the delay and here's the next chapter!  
-Kas.

* * *

"NO! NO! THERE'S BEEN A MISTAKE, YOU HAVE THE WRONG GIRL-" a lone soprano voice screamed into the darkness of the criminal holding cells' building in Suna, and only silence greeted the young woman as she continued to be dragged further down into its' depths. The three shinobi that were escorting her maintained their heavy silence, indicating they were all of high rank. The only detectable sounds throughout the dark hallway were the girls' intermittent, ardent cries, and the escorts' occasional grunts of effort from their having to kick her forward when she drug her heels on the ground in an attempt to hinder their progress.

Discreetly one of the prisoners' two rear escorts bent their head down to the other's ear and lowly growled, "Troublesome, this one is." To further make his point, he jabbed his thumb at the girl in tears and crying out helplessly. Only a low grunt was offered in response from the addressee, but one could easily deduce it was borne of agreement. Neither the grunt nor the initial comment was audible to the prisoner or the other shinobi in the dark hallway.

Finally, they came to a stop in a dark cell in the 4th sub-level of the building. They proceeded to chain the girl up in the damp, dark cell despite her wavering pleas of her innocence, as the chakra binds were already weakening her. After ensuring the girl was locked up properly with both her chakra binds and shackles, the latter of which were bolted into the brick wall, the three shinobi left the girl in the dark, dingy, mold-scented cell.

Making sure the guards had indeed left, the girl's eyes instantly snapped open. Gold started swirling clockwise in her previously hazel irises, and a small chuckle escaped her totally relaxed form as a golden light started glowing from the inside of her chest, slowly moving outwards and effectively lighting up the small, dingy little cell she would temporarily call home.

* * *

Gaara had stayed in his office much later than usual that night-well after the fight between the rogues and himself was complete. It seems that the two men only engaged his ANBU team, and they retreated only a few minutes before he could arrive on the scene. This not only confused him, it really got on his nerves. He initially couldn't decide if they were cowards or if they were just up to something, but he realized it was the latter rather quickly after he had received reports from several of his chuunin that had been leading the evacuation efforts of the village. They relayed messages of high powered genjutsu being used on their persons, and neither of them could remember seeing anything or feeling a chakra signature that was out of the ordinary. It was clear there was a third member in the rogue's party, and Gaara knew that it was the woman that that jounin from Kirigakure, Shigekazu, warned him about previously. It seemed she really was a force to be reckoned with, if his sand didn't even pick up a whisper of her presence in his village and alert him about it. Thankfully, though, she had been apprehended by his own sensei, Baki, and he had personally been one of the shinobi that had escorted the strange woman into her cell, as a favor to Gaara.

He did not know exactly how well this recent attack boded for either his village or for Hinata. Although he would do anything to keep them both safe, he was only one man-he had realized that more than ever since his defeat with the Akatsuki.

A strong wind blew outside his office's window, carrying with it a plume of sand that temporarily masked the current activities of the lively village beneath his feet. Within seconds, his view of the buildings and people below was restored, and the wind and sand carried off to the west with the breeze. High from above the streets down below and safely tucked away in his office, Gaara closed his eyes in silent meditation for a moment. This was the life he had always known…the home he had always known. Who honestly thought that they could come into his village and take that all from him?

Then there was the issue of Hinata. Gaara resisted the urge to sigh loudly and run a hand through his red hair. After the ANBU had sent word that they had made contact with Hinata, she had escaped out of her window during the attack to aid his other shinobi in the evacuation efforts. She had been a tremendous help, knowing exactly where everyone was due to her Byakugan and thus knowing where to look for the missing and lead other civilians to safety. However, she had still ignored his orders. Friend or not, he was the Kazekage, the leader of his village, and she should have never went against his word.

Although…he could honestly understand how she felt. She was a perfectly capable kunoichi, and was only being prohibited from helping the evacuation effort because he had an unfair attachment to her (although she didn't know that). He wanted to protect her more than he wanted to allow her to do her job, and he saw his mistake in that now more than ever. He had no right to treat her like a civilian when she had worked so hard to earn her shinobi title. Therefore, he would not make the same mistake again and next time the rogues attacked he would let her onto the field (accompanied by a team of shinobi-most likely including himself, of course). He was not going to be foolish for the sake of being lenient.

Once again, Gaara sighed to himself as he stared out of his office window. No, he was not going to give her the usual punishment for disobeying a Kage's orders-imprisonment at the _very_ least-but rather he needed to come up with a better idea. One that wouldn't involve her incarceration or physical harm…

His eyes widened. She hated the very notion of time off, so why not use that against her? Of course, he couldn't just tell her to walk around the village or to stay in her room for a few weeks-neither his shinobi nor the elders would think of that as punishment enough…they would think of him as irresolute. Instead, maybe he could assign her a new, much smaller scale mission as punishment? One that would take a few weeks…?

A small smile played onto the lips of the Kazekage for the first time in a long time. He knew Naruto would allow him to extend her appointment to Suna for a few weeks, "in light of the circumstances". The thought that she would be able to stay even longer with him brought him an unfathomable amount of joy, and the simple fact of that matter was that this idea was brilliant. It would help out his village, help him have more time with her, help her not be horribly and ridiculously punished and not have a mark on her shinobi record…Yes, he knew exactly which mission to give the disobedient Hyuuga girl, who he loved so dearly. He began to sort through the mission request papers that various civilians and area businessmen had sent in, and found the one for which he was looking. Smirking now, he scrawled his name quickly across the bottom of the page, and inserted her name onto the document where the deployed shinobi(s) were listed. After sliding it in an envelope and sliding it in a drawer in his desk, he took a seat in his chair and leaned back in it, eyes closing in happiness. Yes, this entire "punishment" situation was working out better than he could have planned.

* * *

Hinata Hyuuga was stomping around her room in anger and frustration. Ugh! What did the prick want her to do in a situation like that? Sit back and watch people work while she, a capable kunoichi, was busy taking up valuable resources to be _protected_?

Sure, she loved him, but she had such a hard time resisting the urge to fight him on it the whole time he had spoken to her during their last meeting. It was a good thing she had been a member of the Hyuuga household for her entire life….at least she had the self-control needed when it came to biting her tongue and not arguing. If it had been anyone else in her situation, though, she knew they would have fought him on it to their grave….especially a fellow shinobi.

'Honestly!' The Hyuuga girl mentally snorted, 'As punishment that I don't deserve, he assigns me an additional, "punishment mission" in irrigation?'

It was true Suna had an irrigation system, but it was very small and still very precious. The tunnels and pipes ran underground for several hundred miles outside of the desert, bringing to the desert village vital and precious life-sustaining water for all to use; even if they preserved it as much as they could. After all, the forested regions from which the water was brought in had dry seasons as well.

Hinata knew why he would assign her this mission-she was a wind and water user, which would help with moving the water and being able to locate it…and of course this all in addition to the advantage of her Byakugan-but really?

'Well, if he is going to be childish, let him,' Hinata mentally fumed, 'We'll get him back one day soon…very, very soon.' Inner Hinata grinned, as potential revenge scenarios flitted rapidly into her mind. Suddenly in a much better mood, the Hyuuga girl picked up her pack-which she noticed had still been left abandoned and disheveled on her bed, and brought it in its entirety with her into her bathroom for a much needed shower.

* * *

Yeaahhh, I know I really need to be making these chapters longer, but I feel kinda bad for starving you guys for months and not giving you anything to chew on. ;) haha :P Well, that, and this cliffie seemed like a reaaallyyy good place to end this chapter. ^^  
Big plans for next chapter though! So be ready for that, and it will be a lot longer than this one because of the events that will be taking place! :3

Again, I am SO sorry for not updating sooner…I just really haven't been in a very creative mood, and even with everything already planned and written out chapter by chapter (not helping much, btw. :P Ideas are flowing and things are being changed faster than my sister changes hats…which is FAST, mind you!) It hadn't been going well. :P But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chappie, and remember, as always-review, message me, leave me things lol!  
Love you guys!

-Kas.

[Also, a big shout out to my Beta, Mariposa-Sanctum! Without her this chapter would have probably been riddled with mistakes (LOL) so i'm giving her her own well deserved credit!] :)


	11. Together at Last!

Chapter…!  
Wait….what chapter is it?  
*whispers from off stage* Chapter eleven! ELEVENNN!  
*coughs*  
Erm…right! Chapter 11 is now up! :D Enjoy faithful readers!  
-K.

(P.S….LEMON IN THIS CHAPTER! xD)

*Bashes surprise ruiners' head in*

* * *

Gaara paced the floor of his office, trying to calm his already anxious nerves. Hinata was due here any minute, and although it would give him a deep satisfaction to see her once again, his pleasure at seeing her would easily double at seeing her fuming, deeply discontent expression (she was so cute when she was angry). Besides, she really did deserve this, he told himself over and over, and the only alternative would be to throw her in jail.

He really hated the idea of seeing his hime behind bars.

Yes, his hime. Gaara resisted the urge to give a small smile. From the very beginning-when he first saw her in a friendly light after the chunin exams-he had really looked at her features and noticed the soft, delicate characteristics that were prized in the best of princesses. She had perfect posture, a soft spoken way of confidence, and she was even raised to be treated as such. Such was the ways of the Hyuuga clan. She was everything a princess should be, and although Gaara knew it was a bit corny and trite, it seemed to fit her. She had won his cold, untouchable heart over in no time flat.

Gaara's eyes narrowed as he heard the distinct sounds of footfalls down the hallway. Knowing it was his assistant Seiji with Hinata, Gaara swiftly stopped his pacing and gracefully returned to his chair, instantly changing the feel of the room and his presence. He was now the fearsome Kazekage, and this was his domain, his place of business. He was in control here.

Seiji knocked, and Gaara muttered a solemn, "enter" while he preoccupied himself with bringing the mission files to his immediate view.

Seiji bowed as Hinata entered, and Gaara found he didn't even pay attention to his assistant anymore. His eyes were instantly on Hinata, as her eyes were on his as soon as she straightened from her own small bow. "You wanted to see me, Kazekage-sama?" She asked, trying to keep a tone of defiance out of her voice. Of course she knew why she was here. He was showing her to her new "mission", but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her disturbed over his childish behavior.

"Yes Hinata-san," Gaara replied, opening the mission folder on his desk, "I already briefed you on the mission the last time you were in here. Did you have any questions for me before we continue?"

Proudly, Hinata kept her chin up and shook her head, holding his gaze.

Recognizing her stubbornness, Gaara unknowingly smirked a tiny bit. Fortunately, his smirk was apparently so small Hinata didn't seem to notice, and he caught himself before it came too much of an issue. Returning his stern expression, he closed the folder in front of him again after taking only a moment more to glance at it, and returned it into a locked cabinet in his desk. Nodding, he stood and indicated for her to do the same. "Hinata-san," he began, "I will escort you to the location of the irrigation zone of which you will be attending."

Hinata didn't answer, instead following him quietly out of his office. She was seething with a quiet rage. How dare he do this to her? She was only here to help out and defend his village, which was exactly what she was sent here to do in the first place! He was just being an arrogant prick, trying to shove his authority in her face like her father used to-

Surprisingly, Hinata had mentally ranted about the injustice of her situation the entire way to the remote outlet outside Suna. When she had finally come out of her stupor (and to her great shock), Gaara had come to a halt in the middle of the open desert. Although nothing appeared out of the ordinary among the glittering, gold waves of sand in the midday sun, her sharp eyes picked up a glint of silver that wasn't supposed to be there. A hatch.

Honestly, if she hadn't been born a Hyuuga, she would have missed it, it was that well concealed. However, it seemed Gaara's eyesight was as good as hers though, if not better. It had taken him only a split second to locate the hatch and have his sand open it for both of them. It opened with a heavy, dull creak and thud as it flipped back onto a cluster of sand, sending a cloud of several waves of particles into the air to the east of them. Gaara stepped closer to the hatch, and commanded his sand to inspect the tunnel below for intruders before the two would enter. Hinata watched as the cork to his gourd popped off and a cloud came forth from his gourd, disappearing into the hole below. It re-emerged only moments later and returned to his gourd. The cork closed with a dull pop.

Gaara moved toward the hatch, yelling over the wind and the whoosh of the sand's shifting, "It's clear. Follow me." He disappeared down the hole in an instant.

Hinata slowly made her way over to the hatch as well, subtly performing the seals for her Byakugan. She peered inside the tunnel and saw a ladder attached to the side of the tunnel opposite the hatch. Keeping her Byakugan activated, she re-settled herself and started scaling down the ladder until she reached the bottom. It was pitch black inside the tunnel, and after she had reached the bottom she had deactivated her Byakugan.

"Gaara?" She asked timidly into the darkness. She wasn't afraid, but she needed a reply so she could verify that nothing had happened to him. Instead of a verbal reply, she received a hand on her shoulder.

Burying the urge to shriek loudly, she instead leapt away from the hand and knocked the offender into the wall she had just moved away from, purely on instinct. Her Byakugan was once again activated. Strangely, she didn't recognize the chakra. It wasn't Gaara. She did a quick sweep around her. Gaara was a few feet behind her, watching the man against the wall write in pain. Clearly he was amused at the man's idiotic actions…honestly, who tries to sneak up on a shinobi?

There were several others in the dark tunnel as well; about 6 others Hinata found, after a quick sweep of the room with her prized kekkei-genkai. She was confused for only a moment, before growing incredibly irritated.

She soon broke the silence with an angry, "Would somebody turn on a damn light?"

Only a few moments of silence greeted her before the men surrounded her busted out laughing.

* * *

Hinata huffed at herself in irritation. She couldn't believe she allowed herself to act like that, even if Gaara had purposely slowed his walk to fall behind the others so he could whisper in her ear, "that was cute". Any other time Hinata would have been incredibly appalled at herself, but now she was just annoyed. Why did she do that?

Of course, as soon as she had "asked" for the light to be turned on, one of the irrigation workers had flipped a breaker and flooded the system of tunnels with a bright, almost garish florescent light. The tunnels were all made of mud and solid dirt, unlike the sand dwellings above the ground. Although Hinata had to admit, both of the types of structures were undeniably sound. Hinata's sensitive shinobi ears had also picked up the sounds of running water several sectors away, but it was still there, and running strong. This spurred her train of thought, and she whirled back to the group of men, asking, "So what is it exactly you need help with?"

The one she had knocked back into the wall came forward, clutching his broken nose, and answered, "I'm sorry Hyuuga-san. I am Ryuu Tanaka. I'm in charge of the irrigation system here in Suna." He smiled at her through his hand covering his face, "Might I say you have a pretty good right hook."

Hinata almost smiled at him, but instead replied, "I'm a ninja. I'm supposed to," as she reached up to heal his nose. It only took a few moments, but when she pulled away, Ryuu was looking at her rather…strangely. Of course, Hinata was not ignorant to that look, having seen it many times over the past few years, but that didn't mean she felt any easier about it. She backed away from the man-Mr. Tanaka, she remembered-and moved back toward Gaara, seeking his protection unknowingly.

"Let us continue on our way, Mr. Tanaka," Gaara interrupted, silencing every thought Hinata had had in her mind at that moment. She looked up at him in shock. Was that _anger_ in his tone?

Well whatever it was, Mr. Tanaka sure picked up on Gaara's signals. He apologized with a small bow towards Gaara and righted himself. "Of course, Kazekage-sama," he nodded, "right this way Hyuuga-san."

"Hyuuga-sama." Gaara stated. There was a definite tightness in his tone now that hadn't been there before.

"Ah, Kazekage-sama?" Mr. Tanaka turned around to face his Kazekage, a confused but humbled expression on his face. "Wha-"

"I believe I made myself plain the first time, Mr. Tanaka." Gaara firmly stated, "You will address her as 'Hyuuga-sama' during the duration of her mission here. She is your superior, not your acquaintance, and you will do as you're told. You will show her the respect she deserves."

Gaara gave not one indication that he was angry-allowed no emotion to stray during his speech-but the way he stood perfectly straight, towering over the young man, was imposing enough to truly terrify any man. Even if Mr. Tanaka wasn't totally frightened right now, Gaara's body language was clearly emitting his power and authority over the poor irrigation head.

Mr. Tanaka bowed his head low in the presence of his Kage, and replied, "Yes, Kazekage-sama. I am very sorry for my carelessness."

Gaara's eyes narrowed at the man in front of him and he tilted his head to indicate towards Hinata. "Apologize to _her_. She is the one to whom the apology is owed."

Hinata moved toward Gaara, both hands in the air, palms toward him, and said, "Gaara-san, no, please it's fine-"

"No, it is not fine. This man insulted you." Gaara's eyes remained fixed on Mr. Tanaka. "Apologize to her. Now."

Mr. Tanaka quickly bowed towards the former heiress and sincerely apologized for his actions. Hinata could only give a small smile and nod towards him, a tiny flash of pity in her eyes for his being lectured by Gaara for such a reason.

The man straightened back up, and Hinata erased her small smile and cleared her expression before he had had the chance to see any of her thoughts revealed. She knew if she allowed him to know of her pity towards him, he would use that as any man would. He would see it as a sign of compassion or a "go" to begin courting her. She would not allow such a thing. She was in love with Gaara, after all.

"Then allow us to continue on," Gaara stated, and within moments the group had once again started forward, heading deeper into the tunnels of the underground retrieval system.

* * *

When Gaara got home that night, he finally allowed the rage that had encompassed him earlier to be released. He moved down to his basement, where a mini training grounds was set up, and promptly started destroying several pieces of equipment in the vicinity due to unnecessary force. He pounded every dummy with a force that could only be considered inhuman, and threw his shuriken and kunai at the targets so hard they passed through every single one with great ease and were embedded in the wall immediately behind them. His basement and training equipment were currently being annihilated, but the only thing he could think about was Hinata and her meeting with Ryuu Tanaka this morning.

Gaara growled possessively and angled a particularly brutal kick towards a target in the upper right corner of the room, completely smashing it. He dropped back down to the ground, not even breaking a sweat, and immediately continued his reminiscing.

He remembered her knocking him into the wall first thing, which made Gaara smirk, and her demanding the light be turned on, which somehow actually made him chuckle within his current state of fury. He remembered her seeing the injury on that Tanaka trash, her actually feeling bad for breaking his nose, before reaching out to reach out to heal it for him…

Gaara started shaking with an uncontrollable rage at this point and started mercilessly pounding the remaining targets and dummy's in the room. He remembered that _bastard's _look of _lust_ for his _hime…_

With a cry of absolute despair and rage, he unhinged one of the larger targets and sent it flying toward the stairs that led up to the only door into the rather large understructure. With a loud crash, several sets of steps collapsed under the force of the target flying into them, and the wooden boards snapped under the weight, creating a small crater in the stairwell. Gaara barely registered what he had done or the destruction around him, as he cradled his head in his hands and sank to the floor.

What would he do if something happened between the two of him? He couldn't afford to lose the one love interest he had ever had in his life…not after he had finally found her. He was _sure_ she was "the one" as he had heard Temari and Kankuro ramble on about in the past. Before he had met Hinata, he had merely dismissed their searching, concluding that it was a waste of time and that it was correct and easy to find someone you can tolerate, and who can tolerate you in return.

It took Hinata to prove to him how wrong he was…not only about that, but about _every_ aspect of his life. It was Hinata who advised him to become closer to his siblings, to try to establish a bond between the three of them because it would benefit all three of them in more ways than one. It was Hinata who taught him to never stop fighting for what he wanted-he had seen her do just that in the Chuunin Exams during her fight with her cousin-and she was his motivation in becoming Kazekage, because he craved the acceptance of his own people. It was Hinata who somehow found a way to open up his cold, formerly uncaring heart, and he knew she would be the only person who would have a real place in it. There would not be anyone else.

Thus, Gaara sank deeper into his pit of agony, and he slumped completely to the floor. What would he do if he lost her?

* * *

Several days later Gaara found himself in his office, searching for paperwork that his assistant, Seiji was supposed to place on his desk yesterday. Unfortunately, they were rather important, and he needed them for a meeting today, but Seiji was on vacation for the week and wouldn't be back for several days. Gaara growled and cursed his assistant under his breath, sauntering over to Seiji's desk and rifling through the stacks upon it in search for the documents.

Gaara's mood hadn't improved over the last week or so, as he was in a state of constant agitation over Hinata. He knew he loved her, but he didn't know where she stood with him yet. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her, but it wasn't an easy thing for the young Kage to do, especially since he hadn't had that much luck with love in the past. What was he to do now that he possibly had competition that could win over Hinata's heart before he himself could?

"Stupid drawer!" Gaara growled through gritted teeth. He was currently trying to gain access into a locked drawer in his assistant's desk, but it was-as previously mentioned-locked. Gaara sat down in his assistant's rolling chair impatiently and commanded his sand to pick the lock for him. He waited for only a moment before hearing the satisfying click of the drawer opening, and low and behold the documents were right there on the top of the pile, facing him. With a smirk of victory, Gaara lifted the files from their previous home and into his arms. He was about to shut the drawer-he had already gained what he had come to look for after all and he didn't want to invade his assistant's privacy-but several piles of bundled up envelopes caught his attention. Gaara's eyebrows furrowed in confusion; why would Seiji keep such things in his desk? They would only take up unnecessary room. He could've taken them home with him if they were personal letters…

Reaching out, Gaara picked up a few and saw they were addressed to himself. His eyes widened. What had Seiji been hiding from him?

Hastily, he ripped the first envelope open, anticipating an unmarked letter from a fellow Kage-important, _classified_ information that had been hidden from him, but instead, he pulled out a rather thick piece of parchment paper with expensive embroidering and a clan seal at the top. So it was clan business, Gaara concluded, and that confused him even more. Why was Seiji meddling in other clan's affairs? He himself was a member of the Unari clan, which Gaara supposed would give him a motive, but Seiji had absolutely no interest in his clan's affairs. Unless it was all an act…

Nevertheless, Gaara started to read the letter first rather than condemn his assistant immediately, and was rewarded with a nasty shock indeed. These…these were…

Gaara's hands started shaking as he held the letter, and his eyes narrowed into slits. No. There was no way he'd allow that to happen. His gaze drifted back to the stacks of envelopes in his assistant's drawer. Were they _all_…?

Gaara reached for the envelopes and gathered as many of them as he could into his arms with an almost insane ferocity. He was tempted to rip the drawer completely out of the desk, but he barely managed to make the rational decision to leave his assistant's desk in one piece. After making sure no one was watching, Gaara hurriedly returned to his office, making his disappearance much in the same manner as a lion running off with a fresh carcass.

* * *

Hinata was coming out of her bathroom clothed in a long, black pair of comfortable pants and a lavender tank top. After arriving, she had soon figured out that although it was scorching hot during the day in Suna, the nights were absolutely frigid, and as soon as she had had the time, she had gone shopping for some appropriate sleepwear. She still had her towel in her hair, attempting to dry off her still wet hair, but her hair was notorious for being incredibly long and thick in the later days of her youth. It was difficult to get it dry with a towel after showering.

She lifted the towel from her hair with a cry of frustration, and turned to grab her bag off her bed to take it into the bathroom with her again (she needed her hair dryer, after all) and instead picked up on another chakra within the room. With a gasp of surprise, she wheeled around, Byakugan activated, and almost immediately deactivated her bloodline limit when she saw that it was Gaara.

Gasping, she pressed a hand against her breast, trying to steady her heartbeat. "Kami, Gaara," she breathed, "You scared the hell out of-"

She was cut off by his lips pressing hungrily against hers, and his fingers pushing through her hair, trapping her in the kiss. Stunned for a moment, Hinata just stood there, not knowing what to do, until she came to her senses and started fighting back. She pushed against his chest, hard, trying to get him to back off, but he just tightened his hold on her and pressed his lips harder against her own, desperately trying to get her to kiss back.

Hinata took only a moment before concluding that even though this was a surprise, she indeed wanted this, and tentatively leaned into him before starting to move her lips back against his own. She slowly reached her hands up and gently cupped his face in her hands, matching his hungry, possessive kiss with her gentle, loving demeanor.

It was enough to catch him completely off guard, and only out of shock did he stumble back from the kiss and stare at her, panting and wide-eyed. "Hinata," he began, but she just smiled a soft, warm smile at him, and it completely disarmed him.

"Hinata," he whispered, as he walked towards her again. With every slow, deliberate step, he was advancing on the one thing in his life he couldn't live without. He decided then and there even if he was absolutely _petrified_ of her answer, he wouldn't lose her without her knowing of his love for her. She had to know that she was his world.

"Hinata," he softly caressed her cheek with his right hand like he had felt her do earlier, and the smoothness of her skin made him close his eyes in bliss. She was perfect. Everything about her was perfect, and he was completely unable to help himself when he opened his eyes and her lavender orbs met his own emerald ones. With a single movement, he had leaned forward again and captured her lips with his own in a sweet, love-filled caress. Every chance he got he kissed her again and again. When it got too much for her and she needed to take a breath, he pulled away from her, gasping, and ran gentle kisses up her jawline to her ear, and down to her collarbone. There, it seemed, she was very sensitive, and whenever he'd cross a certain spot there and suck on it, kiss it, or lightly nibble on it, she would give off the most delightful moan that made him close his eyes with the need to hear more.

What really got him going though was whenever she would moan or whisper his name. There was something so damned _sexy_ about hearing his name escape her lips, and he would be damned if he wouldn't hear it for the rest of his life. She would be his.

Although, he still had yet to tell her what he had wanted to tell her in the first place.

With great difficulty, he pulled away from her flushed face and red, swollen lips from his kisses and managed to only press a light kiss to her forehead. He let out the breath he had been holding and took a large step back, running his hand down her shoulder as he went so that he could touch her all he could before his hand let her go, and as soon as it did he had already felt empty. His gaze shifted to the ground, and he furiously tried to collect his thoughts so that he could tell her how much he loved her, but every time he tried to center himself and come out with it, he froze up and his mouth snapped shut again. It was maddening.

"Gaara," Hinata frowned, stepping closer to him, "is something wrong?"

He could only hold his hands out to stop her from coming closer, shaking his head as an answer to her question. 'There is absolutely nothing wrong right now,' he thought to himself, 'I am with the woman I love, showering her with kisses after years of silently loving her and aching for her and only just now coming to terms with it. If there is a problem, it is mine and mine only, and it can only be my own cowardice.'

He resisted the urge to hit something. He was confined to his own silence. In a sort of furious move, he took a deep breath. His nostrils flared, and he rapidly turned around and started anxiously pacing her room, like he always did in his office when he was trying to calm himself down.

Hinata was starting to get the wrong message now, he saw. She was watching him with anxiety, concern and worry. It was starting to take a toll on him.

Soon enough, she couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears, running into his arms and sobbing into his shirt, begging him to tell her what was wrong. He wasn't even surprised when his sand didn't react and try to block her from coming near him-it would be incredibly difficult for it to block his other half from touching him. She was a part of him just as much as he was.  
He held her close, stroking her hair with his hands and hating himself for causing her this pain, for being a coward, for not telling her how he really feels even though he had lost all sense of himself when he had seen all of the letters requesting courtship concerning her. Nevertheless, every "suitor" had been dealt with (appropriately warned), and she was in his arms right now. That's all that mattered, right?

No. He still felt as if something was missing.

What could it _possibly_ be? He had her right here in front of him, she was _his_…

…but not completely.

He resisted the urge to hurt himself in some horrible, painful way. He was such an idiot.

"Hinata," he softly called, gently taking her chin in his fingers and tilting her head up to meet his. There, he saw the tear tracks that had dried on her cheeks, and fresh ones threatening to spill. Her nose was very slightly pink from the crying she had been doing, and his shirt was soaked from the tears she had spilled. Guilt wrenched in his heart, but he knew this would make her feel better.

He may have not been able to convey to her in words what exactly she needed to hear, but he knew the one and only way he would be able to make her his was to tell her how he felt. Therefore, he grabbed her hand and brought it up to his forehead, placing her palm over the tender Kanji symbol for "love" he had carved into his own skin so many years ago. He resisted the urge to shudder from the contact. She was the only one who had ever touched him there since he had made it, and the sensations he drew from her touch alone were exquisite. Her touch now, though, where it really mattered and where she really belonged…it affected him in ways that he had never been affected before.

With a small cry, he quickly pulled her forward and rested his forehead against hers, with their hands still pressed against the tattoo. For a moment, Hinata's eyes were cloudy with confusion, and within an instant, they were clear and held a burning warmth within them for him as well. She smiled that soft smile that she had reserved only for him, and muttered the words that he had thought he would never hear in his lifetime.

"I love you, Gaara," she said tenderly, the warmth still in her eyes, and she softly rubbed her hand against his cheek. His eyes closed in bliss as warmth exploded in his chest. This…this was the feeling of being loved. He knew…he _knew _it now. It was all because of her.

Unable to contain himself, he picked her up so that she was even with his height (she had always been several inches shorter than him) and she had no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist to keep her balance. He ran his fingers through her hair, cradling the back of her head and always, _always_ trying to bring her closer. She re-adjusted her position and set them both moaning. The delicious friction from the close proximity of their bodies (especially their lower halves) felt too good to be true, and Gaara's animalistic side soon took over.

Growling, he lifted her higher in his grasp once again and allowed her to straddle him in a better position. Still kissing her, he started staggering towards the bed, until his legs hit the edge of it and she fell from his grip back upon it, her long, indigo hair splayed out behind her and her flushed face with swollen, delicious lips beckoning to him. Her breasts were heaving up and down as her lungs desperately made an effort to catch her breath, and the sight utterly captivated him.

He wasted no time, and crawled on top of his hime, kissing and suckling the soft skin of her collarbone until it was almost unrecognizable from all of the bruises. After so long, he panted into her neck, taking a small break for a moment, and instead felt a gentle tugging at his shirt. Pulling back from her neck, he gazed into her eyes questioningly before she started slowly taking it off. Realization flooded his features, and he sat up on her, straddling her, until he had removed his shirt.

He could see the smouldering look take over in her eyes when she first got that first glimpse of him shirtless, and he couldn't help the smirk that played across his face at her reaction. She was just so adorable, and the thought that she found him arousing was oddly comforting.

It continued just as it had started, working at a steady pace and divesting each other of their clothing, until they were both naked under Hinata's bedsheets. Gaara was hovering over her. Heat, hunger, lust, love, and worry were all managing to be conveyed in his emerald eyes all at once. "Hinata," he barely managed in his incredibly aroused state, "Do you want this? I know you love me and you know how I feel about you, but-"

She interrupted him with a kiss, and pulled away, responding, "You're right. I do love you. I want this." She smiled up at him. "If I didn't there's no way you would have gotten this far." She gave him a light chuckle, despite her incredible arousal and lust.

Steadying himself and with a quick set of his jaw, Gaara pushed into her with a quick, light thrust, making sure he was home. Tears filled Hinata's eyes at the pain of having her innocence taken, and Gaara was quick to kiss any tears that appeared on her cheeks away. He hated himself for causing her pain, and he hated that he had to cause her pain, but it was taking almost all of his concentration not to lose himself right now in her tight, wet heat. If he didn't keep a tight rein on his self-control, he would end up hurting her a lot more than she was now.

He waited until she gave her okay, and made sure he kissed her forehead tenderly before slowly pulling back out and thrusting back in. A low moan escaped the both of them, and Gaara learned to repeat the action quickly in order to give her more pleasure. She would cry out every so often for something more, and he would oblige her while simultaneously trying his hardest not to lose himself before she had the chance to. It was their first time, and although he wanted to make this special for her, he was having a hell of a time doing it. Having never felt this kind of pleasure, it was so easy to want to give in, but he was fighting it back tooth and nail if it meant pleasing her.

They were both covered in sweat and Gaara was still pounding into her relentlessly. She lay beneath him, moaning and writhing around, meekly throwing out his name at random intervals. The sight, sounds and feel of her were driving him insane. She was so, so fucking beautiful.

There! He felt her clench around him as he hit the spot and she screamed out his name for the world to hear. Her walls tightened around him viciously, milking him for his seed and he more than willingly obliged. A bright white light shot through his vision and he unconsciously arched into her, pushing himself even deeper into her tight, wet heat. It took everything he had not to just collapse on her, but he didn't want to hurt her. He fell forward onto his arms, which were located on either side of her head, and looked at her for a moment before fell to her side. Her face was flushed and her eyes were totally glazed over. She was still riding her high.

He pulled her into him after he had made himself comfortable, and flipped her so that she had her head nuzzled into his chest. He knew that's where she belonged…where she would always belong. He stroked her hair softly, still waiting for her to come back to him, but he was tired. He was so, so tired.

She moved her head lethargically so she could look up at him under his hold. Their eyes met. For a moment Gaara could swear he could see himself reflected in those pale lavender orbs, but the image vanished before he had ever had a chance to think about it much more. Nonetheless, he snuggled her closer and drew her head back into his chest so that he could keep her close to his heart.

It seemed strange that throughout all of these years, all of this time, he would only act on his feelings after finding out he had competition. She should have known better…she was a very beautiful woman, and she was highly desirable among the male population. The thought made Gaara clutch her to him tighter.

Hmm…that still didn't settle the problem with all of the courtship requests, though. He had to make sure she knew she was his so that she wouldn't do something foolish like allow herself to become someone else's.

"Hina-hime," he gently nuzzled his nose into her hair, prodding to see if she was still conscious, "are you still awake?"

She gave a light "mmm" and rolled her eyes up to meet his, tiredness making her eyelids droop with heaviness. He gave a real, genuine smile for the first time in his life. She was just so beautiful…so beautiful…

He began pressing light kisses on her eyelids, her forehead, in her hair, while he asked her, "Hinata, do you know what this means?"

She gave a small, tired giggle before replying, "Well, I would hope this means that we're together now. I'm not exactly a free lunch, you know."

His grip unconsciously tightened at the thought of her meaning so little to him, but he quickly let it go. He gave another small smile and kissed her forehead one last time, before stating, "You're my girlfriend." A Naruto-like grin stole over his face at the thought, and he pulled her tighter into his chest in spite of himself.

"Yes, I'm your girlfriend," she giggled, and leaned forward to kiss him softly on the lips. When they pulled back, she gazed into his eyes tenderly and continued, "I love you Gaara. I hope you know just how much I mean that."

His eyes warmed over and he kissed her back, snuggling into the crook of her neck, "I know, Hinata. I love you too." He pressed a light kiss to her collarbone. "Never leave me," he begged. He seriously would not know what to do if something happened to her or if she left him. The thought tormented him.

She only smiled at him in return, before replying, "I will never leave you, Gaara. I promise you that." She didn't make him promise the same thing, because she knew it would never be a concern for her. He would never, ever leave her for another woman. She was sure of it.

With that, the two fell asleep shortly after in each other's arms until morning.

* * *

Holy begezus I have to be at work in 6 ½ hours! 0.o

You all better love me an awful lot and really freaking love this chapter! *shakes fist threateningly*

LEAVE ME THINGS. Tell me what's wrong, what you like, yadda yadda yadda. Thanks peoples! ^^  
-Kas.


	12. Anarchy in the Ranks!

So…..

I am so (100x) sorry! I have been trying to write and update, but I never noticed that it had been a little over 3 MONTHS since I last updated! College and work has been keeping me busier than I had anticipated, but that's no excuse. I will definitely try to keep working on my fics more often, but words cannot express how sorry I am to you guys. I know you're excited about this fic and you have all given me a lot of support, and I hope that continues. As a way to make up for my horrible, horrible lack of updating, here are two new chapters. I hope you guys enjoy, and as always continue to enjoy my fics!  
Love you guys!

-K.

* * *

Not too far from the southern border of Suna, three shinobi were huddled around a small fire in the desert. The fire was small because they couldn't risk being captured, and due to the nature of their predicament and how that affected their chances of survival, a small fire was best (although the three wished for nothing more than to throw a few more sticks atop of it for a greater source of warmth). As the three shinobi were quickly discovering, nights in Suna were absolutely frigid.

"Damn Raiden, couldn't you have found a better hiding place? Surely we could have made it back to the hideout before now?" A male voice sounded out from the dark, teeth chattering viciously due to the cold. The dim light of the fire was barely enough to cast an image upon the face of the speaker in the black of the night, but it was enough to illuminate the key components. A proud chin jutted out, which carefully complimented high cheekbones and small, narrow dark eyes reflected in the night. A scoff was heard on the opposite side of the campfire, and gruffer voice responded,

"Did you have a better idea, Arashi? It was either this or sleep in one of those ditches that the Suna scum are digging…you know, the ones infested with snakes?" The small amount of light given to them from their fire barely caught the slow revealing of Raiden's wide, sickening grin as he continued, "Feel free, though, Arashi, to leave us and go sleep with the disgusting, potentially deadly, slimy fucking critters. And I'm not talking about the snakes, either!" The man added as an afterthought, cackling with delight at his own joke.

Raiden continued to laugh as Arashi shot him an exasperated look and removed himself from the circle, walking a small distance away and unrolling his sleeping bag. Apparently, he had decided it was easier to just leave the older, more idiotic man alone than stay up and try to talk to him. As if trying to subtly relay this message to the source of his annoyance, Arashi turned so that he was facing away from the camp (and fire) when he finally found himself situated in his sleeping bag.

The last member of Raiden's small entourage could only remain completely silent with her eyes closed, giving off a heavily irritated vibe. It was as if she were praying the two idiots in front of her would shut up so they could all go to bed already.

After a few moments, a very acute sense of normalcy returned to the group, and Raiden grunted, "Did you do it, Chiasa?"

With her eyes still closed, the only female member of the group responded with a curt, "Well, obviously. I got imprisoned for doing it, didn't I?"

Raiden's eyes narrowed, settling on the brunette and he responded with a sneer, "Watch your attitude with me, bitch. You're lucky we picked you up or you'd still be stealing bread from the markets in shadow country. You know, since you were alone and orphaned on the streets after your weak fucking family-"

SNAP!

In less than an instant, Raiden's form was suspended in the dark air several feet above them, supported by an invisible noose around his neck. A sickening crack had already echoed throughout the area-the sound of the man's neck breaking-and after only a few moments, his disfigured body crumpled to the ground.

Without even moving an inch, Chiasa's eyes remained closed and her aura returned to its former calm. Silence reined for a few precious minutes, and the two partners took the opportunity to bask in what they had been deprived of for so long-absolutely no noise. Not long after, Arashi dared to speak (albeit quietly), "It's about time you did away with him."

With a small, genuine smile, Chiasa once more opened her hazel eyes. Glancing down at the pathetic creature that lay in front of her feet, she gave it a smug look of triumph and disgust before averting her gaze back to her new partner and replied,

"You know, you always were the good one, Arashi."

The Sunagakure border patrol found Raiden's body the next day, naked, with buzzards pecking at his flesh.

* * *

Bitchinnn'. :P

You all probably think I'm crazy, adding in a small chapter like this. :P Weeelll there's a reason I do things like this (if you don't know already) and it's not to build suspense! Well, okay…it's partly that. ;)

Actually a majority of it is we just came off of a very long, romantically-focused chapter. The plot needed to further develop between the romance and the villains, and I think I did a pretty good job of doing this little mini chapter!

IN CASE YOU DIDN'T GET IT:

Yes, so far all three are bad guys (well, two now!). Raiden was their leader to start off with, but since Chiasa killed him, in this little mini-fic she has displayed her dominance. Not only that, but now Arashi and Chiasa sort of have a small understanding between them, and what is that from? Why, their mutual discontent of Raiden's former leadership, of course! It will be interesting to see where this takes us, ne? :P It's the classic tale of the overthrowing of the abusive power…only the twist is it came from within a small group of villains. Now we are confused as to who the real power is and who will emerge as the real leader in this partnership!

If you are concerned about the length of this chapter, don't be. I will update tomorrow again with the next chapter (which will be longer than this one). I'm adding this chapter in now because it is a good transition chapter, and it advances the plot and really lets us know how things are going with our antagonists! I thought about trying to add on to this one either before or after this little scene, but you really can't do it. This little ficlet (LOL) is serving its purpose beautifully, and I hope you feel that way too!

GOMENASAI FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER, and like I said, I will update again with this fic tomorrow, okay? :3

Thank you for understanding, and I hope you enjoy!

-THE KAS.


	13. What Would I Do Without You?

Hello again everybody!  
Since I've said most everything that needed to be said when I updated with the last chapter, I'll just go right on ahead and get down to business.

Enjoy!

-Kas.

* * *

Bright and early the next morning, Temari was standing outside of Hinata's door. The two had agreed to meet up for an early breakfast before they had to head to their respectable duties. While Hinata was heading westward toward the irrigation project, Temari would be walking Southeast toward the dunes, and the food market was conveniently located on the way out of the gates. The two girls had agreed to meet for breakfast to talk over how their missions were going and how Hinata was doing in Suna. They hadn't had the chance to talk at all lately, and for the most part they just wanted to catch up. Temari had been excited at the prospect of talking with Hinata, and she had thought that Hinata had felt the same.

Until Hinata had failed to show up…they were supposed to meet 20 minutes ago.

Normally Temari wouldn't have bothered disturbing her, but they were both due to be at their respectable mission sites in 15 minutes, and if Hinata had accidentally slept in or something was wrong, Temari wanted to make sure she was conscious and/or okay. So, here Temari stood in front of Hinata's doorway, knocking and not receiving an answer.

After the third knock and no answer, Temari's notorious temper flared. Calling chakra into her foot and with a great shriek of fury, she planted her foot in the middle of Hinata's bedroom door and sent it flying into the abyss of the Hyuga girl's room.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Temari glanced around the now lit room (the sun was already up), trying to locate her friend. After a quick sweep, she found not one, but two figures nestled in the indigo-haired girl's bed. One of them had bright red hair, similar to a brilliant, vibrant flame.

When it all clicked, Temari did the only thing a big sister could do in that situation.

She screamed.

* * *

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God." Temari sat in Gaara's office, directly across from his desk. Shaking slightly, Temari's form was bent over, her elbows on her knees, and her eyes slammed tightly shut. She held a small paper cup tightly in her hands, although the water it contained still remained untouched.

"T-T-Temari-san, it's alright, really-," an indigo haired woman stuttered from the corner, trying to comfort the distraught blonde. "I know it wasn't the best way to find out, but-"

Suddenly, water sloshed over the sides of the cup and onto the Kazekage's office floor, and a whimper was heard from the blonde leaning over in her chair. A hysterical laugh escaped her after she managed to somewhat compose herself and she barely managed, "It was the WORST way, Hinata…the WORST way!" Another whimper escaped her and she stabbed her eyes shut again, more water sloshing out of her cup. "The last thing I need or want to see is my brother and my best friend in bed together…NAKED!"

"Temari," a red-headed kazekage finally spoke, "you need to calm down. I'm sorry-"

"SORRY? _YOU'RE_ sorry!" A hysterical Temari shouted, "You both could have given me a heads up! You could have got your asses out of bed when you heard me knocking! You could have LET ME KNOW YOU WERE IN A RELATIONSHIP-"

"CALM DOWN, TEMARI!" Gaara uncharacteristically shouted, "You're only making things worse!"

Hinata sat still in the corner, her face in her hands. Never in her life had she been more embarrassed than she was right now. Things couldn't get much worse.

BANG!

"Yo, Gaara!" A cheerful Kankuro called from the office's doorway, "Can I talk to you for a sec-" Stopping dead in his tracks after seeing the tension in the room, he nervously laughed, "Geeze, did I catch you at a bad time?"

A hysterical laugh from Temari and a weak whimper from Hinata were the only replies Kankuro received. An exasperated Gaara, no longer finding the strength to resist the temptation, sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands. Knowing the game was up before it had even begun, Gaara managed, "Come on in Kankuro…and you might want to sit down."

Little did Kankuro know this was one family meeting he wished he could have missed.

* * *

Finally, Gaara and Hinata were alone in his office. A delighted and amused Kankuro expressed his congratulations to Hinata and Gaara (with a few crude remarks and winks in Gaara's direction), and finally managed to get Temari out of her chair. Pale, ashen and still slightly shaking, the Kazekage's normally fearless and strong older sister drew several strange looks, especially since she was supported by one of her younger brothers. On the way out of the office building, several people (who were Gaara's close associates) ran upstairs to see what was going on with the Kazekage and his siblings, but Gaara managed to pass off her "illness" as a bad meal she must have eaten. So, several well-wishers and sympathetic remarks later, Gaara and Hinata sat in chairs in his office…he behind his desk and she still hidden in the corner in her shame.

Finally, Gaara said something to try and break the unbearable silence, "Hinata, I-"

"Don't you dare apologize, Gaara." A mortified Hyuuga mumbled from between her hands, which were currently burying her face. With a quick exhaling of breath, she slid her hands down her face and into her lap, keeping her eyes closed. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes, and fixed them on him for the first time since Kankuro had entered the room. "This is entirely my fault. I should have been more careful, and now we have had the most EMBARRASSING experience with your siblings…I've just never had to do anything like this before, and I didn't know how to handle anything like this. Gaara, I'm so sorry…" The girl closed her eyes once more. She wasn't necessarily distraught or ready to cry, just ashamed. With her shoulders slumped, the girl hung her head and leaned against the edge of the small table in the corner of the room.

Gaara sighed and got up from his desk, taking her into his arms. He drew her into his chest tightly, and nuzzled his nose into her hair before softly speaking, "Hime, it's not your fault. They needed to find out, and it was only a matter of time. I shouldn't have been so careless with you, I'll admit, but I don't regret anything. You don't regret it, do you?" he asked. He clutched her tighter and slightly rocked her, trying to give her the support that he knew she needed.

"No," she slightly laughed, and sniffled into his neck, "Like I said…I just wish I knew how to handle everything better. I'm sorry I embarrassed you, Gaara. I've just been making everything worse."

"No, hime…no you haven't." Gaara frowned, rubbing her back slightly, "You don't even realize all of the things you've done for me, do you?"

"No," Hinata stated simply, and pulled herself tighter into his chest, "I don't."

Gaara smiled at the soft, delicate beauty in his arms, and rested his head on top of hers, smiling in contentment. "Well," he replied, a genuine chuckle escaping his lips, "one day I'll have to tell you."

* * *

Later that night, Gaara was sitting in his office, signing some last minute paperwork, when a frantic chuunin and anbu ran in the room.

Recognizing the two and the urgency their uninvited presence would mean, he instantly rose to his feet, his expression completely somber. "What is it?" he steadily questioned.

"Gaara-sama," the chuunin gasped, clutching his side, "The body of Raiden Asuhara was discovered by the southern patrol this morning."

Angered, Gaara shot back, "Why was I not informed of this _this morning_, then? What have you idiots been doing all day?"

The Anbu finally stepped in, "Kazekage-sama, it seems that the body was discovered by a new chuunin patrol. None of the patrol members this morning engaged the criminal during the last attack on Suna, so they did not realize the importance of their discovery. I identified him when I was ordered into the morgue just now to retrieve some documents for the Anbu office."

"It was then that we came straight to you, Kazekage-sama," the chuunin gushed, "forgive me for not realizing-"

"Nothing can be done about it now," Gaara said quietly. His temper had calmed a tiny bit, but he was still heavily irritated that he was not informed of this sooner. "Show me the body. I want to be briefed immediately on the entire situation."

* * *

Meanwhile, Temari was in Hinata's room. Gaara had given the two women the day off to…well, recover from the shock of the morning, and the two had spent it together talking. Much like now, Temari was still in disbelief that Gaara and Hinata were actually together, and Hinata was grateful that Temari had seemed to calm down from her shock. If anything was more embarrassing than your best friend catching you with her younger brother, it was watching her freak out all day about it. Still, Hinata had put on a brave face, and it seemed to have paid off. At least now she and Temari could have an intelligent conversation together.

It was almost evening, and-as previously mentioned-the two were in Hinata's room. Temari was sitting gingerly on the end of Hinata's bed (trying to ignore the nagging thoughts about what had transpired there only the evening before, although she knew that the sheets had already been changed by the house's staff). Hinata was standing and gathering things that she would need for the shower she was getting ready to take.

"I still can't believe you and Gaara are together," Temari said for the thousandth time, "I mean I knew you two liked each other, but I never expected it to move along this quickly!"

Hinata sighed, the urge to blush gone. After hearing it over and over again all day, it was hard even for the "delicate" young Hyuuga to conjure up the energy to be embarrassed about it anymore. "Temari," she started, "I've told you before that it's slowly been coming to this for several years…and if I'm going to be completely honest with you, he came to me last night. I wasn't expecting anything to happen."

Instantly, Temari's eyebrows shot up. Gaara came to her? Interesting.

"Why did he come to you?" the blonde asked, clearly stunned yet interested.

Hinata smiled softly while she reached in her bag to grab her hairbrush…after last night she would make sure to never forget to brush it after a shower again. By the time she and Gaara were done the next thing she knew she had woken up to a knotted mess and it took almost a half an hour to brush through.

"I didn't know at the time, Temari," the Indigo haired girl giggled, "but this morning we were talking in his office and I saw a list of names on his desk, and they were all marked out with red ink. I asked him about it, but he got this dark look on his face, and when he left the room for a minute to talk with another office's secretary since Seiji-san is still on vacation, I saw quite a few letters in the garbage bin. I didn't read them, although I was sorely tempted to. I think they might have something to do with it."

Temari grinned knowingly. She had been through the same thing when she turned eighteen. Putting on an innocent expression, she asked, "Did they have clan seals on them? I know you're probably unfamiliar with the shinobi clans of Suna, but I'm sure you could identify if they were sealed and printed on expensive paper and whatnot. I mean, you're a Hyuuga-no offense," she smirked, "But you know how clans are."

Hinata bit her lip and peeked up underneath her eyelashes at her friend, nodding. "I believe them to have been clan letters," Hinata spoke, but she quickly averted her eyes and went back to rifling through her pack again. She knew better than to get involved in foreign clan politics.

Temari grinned and opened her mouth to say something, but she was stopped when something fell out of Hinata's pack as the girl tried to remove one of her nightshirts. It was a small yellow envelope, sealed, and unaddressed.

Temari's eyes went wide and looked up at Hinata, who appeared to have not noticed what had just happened. The blonde jumped off the bed, eyes wide, and turned toward the girl opposite her. "Hinata!" Temari yelled, and the elder girl's tone had changed enough to draw Hinata's attention immediately.

Hinata's eyes shot open and she straightened up, Byakugan activated. After a quick survey of her room, the floor, and then the building (all with no indications of a threat), she turned back to Temari, Byakugan still activated. "Temari, what's wrong?" she asked, her tone authoritative and ready for action.

Temari raised her fingers to her lips and nodded toward the tiny envelope on the bed. When Hinata saw it, her eyes widened slightly, but she thoroughly checked it with her Byakugan just in case. Her search revealed no paper bombs or other traps or explosives, but the two girls could not take a chance. Hinata nodded to Temari, who immediately did the necessary seals and two guards were at the two girls' sides in an instant, in a defensive position and poised for an attack.

"Stand down Kado…Reizo," Temari said, nodding to each of the men. They eased up and nodded back, showing their respect, and Temari continued, "There are no intruders in the room, but we seem to have a smaller, but equally dangerous threat." She nodded toward the envelope on the bed. "This just fell out of Hinata's pack. Neither she nor I placed it there, and it could be the reason the female prisoner was in the village. I want it examined immediately."

Within just a few minutes there were at least ten highly trained and skilled ninja in the room, taking photos, gathering evidence, and carefully preparing to remove the envelope from the room. Temari and Hinata were moved into the hallway for their own safety, and Hinata once again had her head buried in her hands. Temari was talking to a couple of guards, trying to persuade them to leave Hinata unquestioned for the night, while also having an arm around the girl, trying to keep her from snapping on all of the shinobi currently going through her personal items.

"What the hell is going on?" A completely infuriated voice shouted from the end of the hallway, and as Temari looked up she saw none other than her youngest brother briskly making their way toward them, flanked by two more shinobi. Unsurprisingly, as soon as he was close enough, he ripped Hinata out of Temari's grip and clutched her tightly against his own chest. After a few seconds of questioning Hinata and determining her physical and emotional state, he rounded on the guards who were formerly speaking with Temari. Sporting a possessive fury that could only be comprehended by the likes of Naruto, Gaara quietly asked with deadly intention, "You had better answer my question, because I wanted an answer almost thirty seconds ago! Now, what the _fuck_ is going on here?"

Sensing the aura around her little brother, Temari decided to intervene and spare the guards' careers…and possibly their freedom, because jail wasn't entirely out of the question if they didn't answer Gaara soon. She responded, "Hinata and I were in her room talking, and as she was getting some things out of her pack, a small yellow, unaddressed envelope fell out. The shinobi here are surveying the area and removing the envelope until we know that it's safe."

Gaara closed his eyes, his jaw set tightly from anger and irritation. After a few moments of calming himself down a little more, he turned to the smaller of the two shinobi he had come with and addressed him menacingly, "If I am not informed of important things such as this immediately from now on, there will be dire consequences for whomever is responsible. Make a note of it and make sure a notice is sent around."

The chuunin gulped, his eyes wide as saucers as he nodded frantically. "Y-yes Kazekage-sama. I will ensure it!"

"Good," Gaara snarled, and he returned his attention back to the female in his arms. He once again appraised her mental state, and he pulled her tighter into his chest, tucking his chin on top of her head. This action surprised the guards who observed this new possessive behavior, but they seemed to realize what this meant quickly enough. A couple of them even smiled slightly, though the situation preventing any of them from truly rejoicing in their Kazekage's newfound relationship.

At that moment several shinobi emerged from Hinata's room, the first carrying the perpetrating envelope and the last carrying Hinata's bag. Gaara's eyes narrowed and he called out to the latter. "You do not need her entire wardrobe," the redheaded Kazekage fumed, "I will see to it that it is examined, but you do not need to be snooping through her things in the process."

The shinobi only nodded, handing over the bag to Gaara. The nameless shinobi bowed slightly to his Kage, and quickly spun on his heel, following the rest of the shinobi out of Hinata's room. It was now completely evacuated.

Gaara gave a stern look to the guards standing next to Temari, and ordered them to keep watch over Hinata tonight. They were to stand outside the door only, and only enter when she called for their assistance or there were obvious indicators of trouble coming from inside the room. After the two guards nodded their acceptance of their assigned task, he turned to Temari. "You are dismissed, Onee-chan. Thank you for watching over Hinata during this. I-"he cut himself off, closing his eyes, "I greatly appreciate it."

Temari only smiled, patting Gaara on the shoulder lightly a couple of times, "I know you do, Otouto-chan. Good night."

"Good night." Gaara nodded and watched his sister return to her own room. It seemed as if she and Shikamaru were going to stay in the house with them tonight. That was an excellent benefit on his behalf-more shinobi in the house at a time like this was better for everyone involved.

"Come on Hinata," Gaara said, removing his head from atop of hers and pulling back slightly from their embrace so that he could look her in the eye, "you can sleep in my room tonight. I'm going to be in my office all night dealing with some new developments, but rest assured you will be safe. If there are any problems," he cut off his speech to give the two guards left a stern look, "then one of these shinobi will let me know." To emphasize his point, Gaara gave them a hard glare, his nostrils flaring with his current displeasure about his staff's response time. The two shinobi gave an audible gulp, and both nodded their understanding.

As soon as Hinata was safely resting in his room, Gaara started to make his way toward his office. Immediately after turning the corner, Gaara stopped and faced the wall, putting his hand out to support his weight. He slowly leaned his head against the grainy surface of the structure and took several deep, even breaths to calm himself down. It seemed he now had a legitimate problem with establishing authority (with security issues such as this, it was more likely than not his council…he and Baki would handle them, though). Not to mention all the problems surfacing with the threat on his village and Hinata. He knew he would allow no harm to come to either of them, but when he had a communication problem like he did this afternoon, who is to know what could happen? When he rounded that corner earlier today and saw so many shinobi in Hinata's room, he could honestly say he felt as if he had had a heart attack. He had no idea what was going on, because he was missing information….information that his own staff was not relinquishing to him! This was every Kage's nightmare.

He knew he had to get over these problems, because if he was going to protect Hinata, his siblings, this _village_, then he needed to know what was going on, when, why, how, and where! If he didn't know that, how was he supposed to make intelligent, informed decisions and call his shinobi into action?

He couldn't. It was as simple as that. The village of Suna would stand no chance against an attack or their enemies if their leader was not in command. It seemed that he now needed to find a way to communicate that fact.

Worrying about Hinata would have to wait. It seemed that now he needed to rely on his siblings more than ever, because they were going to have to really help him get through this. Since they knew of he and Hinata's relationship already, it would make it a lot less awkward for him to ask them to help keep an eye on her, which was a major plus to the situation. It would cause fewer problems for everyone. Luckily they were all closer than ever; they had especially grown together over the past few years. Every day Gaara learned more and more that there would probably never be a time in his life when he stopped needing his siblings, and they wouldn't even be there to begin with if it hadn't been for Hinata.

"Kami," Gaara breathed, clawing at the hardened clay wall and clenching his now mud encrusted nails into his palms, drawing blood, "Hinata, no matter what happens, please stay safe."

His plea sounded almost like a prayer.

* * *

Yep! No comment!

Tell me what you guys think, and as always I hope you enjoy!

-K.


	14. The Plot Thickens!

Hello!

I've noticed some alerts dropping off for a while…is there a problem, guys? ^^ I apologize for not updating sooner…college has literally been *insert appropriate curse word here*, and even after taking nearly my entire break to rest and recuperate, I still feel as if I haven't slept a day! How strange is that?

I hope that you are all enjoying this fic, and as a reward for your patience I'm giving to you this chapter, filled with all sorts of goodies and plot twists! :P If I do well on time, I may even update with *gasp* TWO chapters tonight! OMG!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday! ^^

-K.

* * *

Deep in the underground prison of Suna, Baki walked the tunnels of the 4th sublevel. As a result of the tighter security, the Kazekage trusted only his best and brightest to guard the prisioners of Suna who posed the greatest threat and who better than his own sensei? Baki to this day remained loyal to his three students, and although he was honored Gaara had chosen him to perform this essential task, the dim light of the sublevel was getting to him. It was true that while he was still an exceptional shinobi, his age was starting to catch up to him and it was causing an even greater strain on his eyes. The vast difference between the light of day shining upon the desert dunes above and the dark, earthy, muddy tunnels of the fourth sublevel of the underground structure were really taking their toll. Baki sighed to himself. Despite his health problems, it was nearly time for his duty to end, and with the sand jounin being the experienced, clever shinobi that he was he wanted to re-check one last prisoner before he was dismissed for the night.

He rounded the corner of the tunnels passageway, his hand hovering over his kunai pouch, ready in case of a problem. Baki's form stiffened, ready for action, and then he made his way around the final corner to the prisoner's cell. Despite all of his flaws/problems, Baki was still a damn good shinobi after his years of experience, and he wasn't about to make a ridiculous blunder such as being unprepared.

When the jounin's gaze met the cell for the first time in several years his jaw dropped in shock. There, in the center of the cell, chained to the wall in the former prisoner's constraints, was Emiko-san, an esteemed council member and elder of the village of Suna.

"Emiko-san?" Baki called to the elderly woman's limp form, still poised for attack if the need be, but not completely believing his own eyes, "How did you get in there?"

No reply came from the pitiful, limp body of the old woman. Her clothing was dirtied by the grime of the cell, or rather what was left of her clothing. Dried blood had pooled on the floor from her own open wounds, and as Baki surveyed her condition from a distance the color and amount of blood indicated that she had been attacked several hours ago. It would be a miracle if the woman were still alive, taking into consideration the amount of blood that she had lost. The evidence-pools of Emiko-san's own blood-lay at the feet of her suspended figure.

Baki reached for his radio and started shouting instructions into it, not taking his eyes off of the woman who had treated others and himself so kindly throughout her life. He had a hard time not getting emotional after seeing a good friend and kindred spirit chained to the wall in such a filthy, vile way. Never in his life had he imagined his friend and colleague would die the way she had, and he hated whoever had done such a thing to her.

Most of all, he hated himself for allowing it to happen.

* * *

"Kazekage-sama!" Another shinobi called from outside his office, "Requesting permission to enter…please, it's urgent!"

Gaara stood from his chair, instantly becoming alert despite the late hour, "Enter!"

An ANBU was within his office in seconds, kneeling before him and revealing, "The rouge prisoner has escaped, Kazekage-sama."

Silence filled the room and Gaara's expression remained stony. He allowed no anger to overcome him, but continued calmly, "How is this possible?"

The ANBU bowed his head even lower so that it was almost parallel with the ground, and replied evenly, "We do not know, Kazekage-sama. Baki-sama was patrolling the area this afternoon, and before he was to be relieved, he doubled back to check on the prisoner once more before his departure. When he arrived, he found not the prisoner inside, but-" the ANBU paused, closing his eyes in regret before continuing, "he found Emiko-sama instead. She was found in the exact position that the prisoner was reported to have been left, and it is revealed that she died from blood loss from multiple open wounds."

Gaara closed his eyes and slowly sat back down. He gripped the edge of his desk for support and took in a deep breath. Emiko-san was one of the kindest people he had ever met, and she was an invaluable asset to the village as an elder. He himself had gone to seek her assistance on countless matters after first being instated Kage…she was the first one to openly offer her services to him and braved great uncertainty and mistrust to do so. She was a precious person to Gaara, and now she was dead-found chained to the wall in his own prison, no less-and from _bleeding_ to death? Gaara knew that was a horrible, slow, painful death to die, and it was no way that Emiko-san had deserved to leave the earth. Then again, most shinobi don't deserve to leave the earth the way they do…not that it excuses the situation at all, of course.

Perhaps, the most shocking thing of all was that Baki-sensei had allowed this to happen while he was on duty…how could this be so? Gaara trusted Baki implicitly; he was the only man who could be trusted to perform such a task with Gaara's full confidence, and something such as this had been allowed to take place?

Gaara closed his eyes and bowed his head in regret, letting his grip on the edge of his desk loosen, and his hands eventually fall to his sides. He knew what he had to do.

Gaara stood from his chair, finding the strength to perform his duties from somewhere deep within himself. "Bring Baki to me at once," Gaara said monotonously, staring intently at the shinobi at his feet.

The ANBU shinobi hesitated for only a few moments before replying, "Yes, Kazekage-sama," and within the blink of an eye the ANBU had disappeared in a swirl of sand.

* * *

"You wished to see me, Kazekage-sama?" A rough voice rang out of the darkness of the Kazekage's office. The speaker stood tall and strong, despite the response he knew he would receive.

"Yes," Gaara spoke, his gaze directed out of the window of his office. His hands were clasped behind his back, but otherwise his body language was completely expressionless. His eyes were closed as if he was deeply in thought, but no response besides the single word escaped his lips.

Minutes seemed to roll by as the two stood completely frozen, until the Kazekage finally spoke in his monotonous voice, "Tell me what happened, Baki."

The elder shinobi took a moment to consider his response, before essentially restating the exact description of events the earlier ANBU had given his Kage. Their village leader allowed Baki to finish his description before stating, "That is not the description that I wish to hear."

Turning around for the first time, Gaara settled his gaze upon his longtime friend and sensei and continued, "You know what the Kazekage-_any_ Kage-sees and hears better than anyone. You have worked for both my father and myself, and you have been a member of the Council of Suna for almost as many years as I have been alive. You know even more intimately than anyone in this village what is expected of both of us. There has been a serious breach of security tonight, and it is my duty to enforce the laws of Sunagakure upon the perpetrator or perpetrators. I need your input on what has happened in detail, and in your own point of view, before I am to make a decision. Moreover, I need to know what happened to properly understand how such a disgusting thing could happen to someone who was such an asset to Suna as Emiko-sama. This is your chance to explain everything to me, Baki-sensei. You will not get another one."

Gaara stared directly into the eyes of his old sensei, seriousness leaking from every particle of his being. After seeing the understanding in Baki's eyes, Gaara closed his eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening and finished, "Tell me."

Baki's body _very_ slightly trembled in front of his Kage's closed eyes, and he bowed his head before recanting his tale.

"I honestly knew nothing of what had taken place, Kazekage-sama. I had been patrolling the 4th sublevel since six o'clock this morning, and nothing unusual had taken place. It was as if it were a normal day on patrol. It was as quiet as it normally is on that particular floor, and I felt no one else enter or leave the area. My abilities were not lacking today, Kazekage-sama, I am sure of it." It was at this point that Baki raised his previously lowered head to meet his student's gaze, for now Gaara's eyes were open once again and were trained on Baki's form.

"I do not know what it was, Kazekage-sama, or how this came to happen, but I can assure you it was no mistake on my part. I performed the task given to me to the best of my ability, and although I am sure that Emiko-san's death was not by my own doing-whether directly or indirectly-I accept full responsibility for her death and for the prisoner's escape. Please accept my deepest regret, Kazekage-sama."

With that, Baki kneeled on the floor and bowed to his Kage, his head touching the floor in a display of his shame. He resisted the urge to sob, but he knew he could not afford to do so at this moment, in front of his Kazekage. It was with this knowledge that he composed what little strength he had within himself, and forced himself to appear strong.

"Get up, Baki-san." Gaara stated, his tone still neutral. The lack of emotion in his student's tone gave him the first cause for fear the jounin had had in a long time of his student, but he dismissed it quickly. He had not performed his duty, and it had resulted in the death of a distinguished council member-his _friend_. He would never forgive himself, even if his Kazekage did in the future.

Gaara surveyed his sensei with a neutral expression, but internally a war was waging from within himself. He knew that Baki was not lying and he had truly performed the given task to the best of his ability, but the reality of the situation struck the young Kage hard. A council member had just been murdered from within his own village. He had a legitimate security problem on his hands, a problem with his shinobi seeing him in a position of authority, in addition to the attacker trying to get to Hinata and his additional responsibilities as Kazekage.

If he sent his sensei away now, it would pose as a risk to his very security as Kazekage-he would lose a very great ally; and yet, it may even have the adverse effect. If he sent away his own sensei for treachery, his other shinobi may begin to see him as more as an authoritarian figure.

Moreover, the issue at hand was that he had an escaped prisoner-a danger to Sunagakure-on the loose, in addition to the loss of a precious council member and friend, and here he was, about to deliver the punishment to his own sensei. The situation simply could not get any worse.

As much as Gaara would have loved to not punish his own sensei, he was the Kazekage and he had responsibilities to uphold. The fact of the matter is-no matter how innocent Baki was in Emiko-san's death, he had still allowed this to all go unnoticed and failed to uphold his duties. It was Baki's responsibility….

…just as it was Gaara's responsibility to punish whoever was responsible. Even if it were a random jounin that Gaara was completely unfamiliar with, it would not have made the situation any easier, for there was now blood on his hands-_both_ of their hands.

"Rise, Baki," a calm Kazekage stated, and watched as the jounin in front of him slowly rose to his feet. Baki met his student's gaze with his head held high, and the knowledge that from now on in that room, silence would be his only ally.

"You have failed to perform your duties as an honorable shinobi of Sunagakure." Gaara stated, "and this has resulted in the death of a respected citizen, council member and friend, Emiko Deushi, in addition to the release of a prisoner who is a great threat to the security of our village. As a result of your testimony, I have concluded that although you did not have any immediate involvement with Deushi-sama's murder or with the actual release of the prisoner, you have failed to perform your duties correctly at such a crucial moment for the security of our village. As of this moment, you will hereby be placed in the same prison in which the atrocity was committed until further evidence is brought to light to further prove your innocence. It is in our village's best interest that you be kept incarcerated, and I hereby give the order to make this so. Guards-"

Two ANBU were instantly at Baki's sides, helping him fully stand and grabbing either of his arms in an attempt to restrain him. "That will not be necessary," Baki managed, and the ANBU very carefully relaxed their grip on the captive's arms.

Although completely shamed and heartbroken, Baki managed to look into his student's eyes and gave him a very, very tiny smile. "I always knew that you would make a damn good Kazekage, Gaara….and you have proved me right tonight. I'm proud of you."

Gaara looked into his sensei's eyes with an incredible internal strength as he gave a tiny smile in return and said weakly, "I will always be a damn good Kazekage, Baki-sensei…but it seems I am incapable of being a damn good student."

Baki merely smiled wider and a few tears found their way to his eyes before the ANBU had forcibly turned him around, walking him out of the room. Baki barely had time to shout back his answer, before the massive wooden doors of the Kazekage's office swung shut, "You always have been, Gaara-musuko."

The young Kazekage then collapsed into his office's chair, fully spent and truly ready to sob for the second time in his life.

* * *

In case you are all wearing "What the crap?" expressions, Musuko means son. :P So Baki called Gaara his son on that last part.

Let me explain some of my madness to you before you all start throwing your shoes at me in anger. I wrote this chapter because I really needed to explain the depth of Gaara's problems to you guys, and not just make this about the two villans who are after Hinata. After all, not only is that cliché, but it is also very ridiculous to make that the only plot point.

I picked Baki not because I hate him! (Oh Gawd, no; after the Sand siblings, he is my next favorite Sand shinobi!) I picked him because although I've mentioned it before subtly, Baki really does mean a lot to the sand siblings (a fact that in the original Naruto series is hidden quite well, to my knowledge). In reality, I think that Baki means a great deal to all three siblings, because he is truly the only father the three have ever had. Hence, why I made Baki call Gaara "son"; he did not mean it biologically, before I get any comments asking me why I thought Baki was Gaara's dad. =.= I don't think he is; I'm just stating a point.

In addition, the plot thickens (I bet you thought it couldn't thicken any more, either)! Haha! Just goes to show you, I've got some tricks up my sleeve. :P

Also, I apologize for not updating sooner! I can say over and over that college truly sucks but I get the feeling that no one cares; you all just want more chapters! :P I'll try to update soon, okay!

Thanks for reading and for hanging on with me (for those of you who haven't dropped your alerts *pointed look*)….you guys are the best! :D

-Kasie. :D


	15. The Not So Allied Forces

Hey everybody!

I know this update is a long time coming, and I apologize. Rather than harp on with excuses and explanations, I'm going to get right to the point and present the chapter to you! ^^ Here it is, chapter 15!

-K.

* * *

In the darkness of the Kazekage's mansion a figure quietly crept into the kitchen, trying not to wake the inhabitants that were sleeping above. This proved to be a challenge for the intruder; the unconscious guests were all well-trained shinobi. Even for one such as the Kazekage himself, it seemed that staying undetected in his own house at night proved to be a challenge.

Gaara quietly sighed and ran a hand through his vibrant red hair in defeat. He had sensed a chakra spike from the third floor; Kankuro was awake and heading his way. There was nothing much left to do but have a seat at the counter and eat the meal that Hinata had so graciously saved for him. She always saved a plate of whatever she had made for herself and his siblings and covered it, leaving it on the counter for the busy Kage.

It was little things such as this that made him love her even more. With her love, she had showed him he had something that he could love back; something he could treasure more than his own life. His past life experiences had taken a great toll on him, and it was she who made him realize that he had something worth living for…including his village. He would die for her.

It was at about that time that Kankuro crept down the stairs, staying in the shadows and holding a kunai in throwing position in case there was trouble. Mentally, Gaara commended his brothers' skill in stealth. Taking into account Kankuro's large frame, the eldest brother moved with a grace that only well-trained shinobi could have.

Baki had taught them well.

Gaara closed his eyes; his grief and guilt threatened to consume him. Never, _never _in his wildest dreams had he predicted that he would have to imprison their sensei and father figure for treasonous actions. The idea was simply incomprehensible.

"Are you alright, Gaara?" Kankuro asked tentatively, finally making his appearance out of the shadows. Kankuro knew that his brother was distraught; Gaara never came home this late, even as Kazekage, and he certainly didn't let his chakra flare like that-even at home.

"Kankuro," Gaara said levelly, raising his eyes to meet his brothers, "I'm so sorry."

This statement coming from his younger brother alarmed the middle sand sibling greatly. "Gaara, what's wrong?" Kankuro asked seriously.

It was at this moment that Gaara told his brother what he had done to their lifelong friend.

* * *

As midnight struck, the Sand siblings could all be found in Gaara's study with their two guests, Shikamaru and Hinata. Normally if there was a private discussion between the siblings they would keep it that way, but as soon as Temari had heard the news she had demanded her husband's presence. Hinata had consequently awoken due to so much traffic in the hallway; it was too early in the morning for that many people to be awake and moving.

So there the small family sat, ashen-faced and trying to make sense of what had happened. Shinobi guards were posted outside of the house due to the intruder's escape, and there were patrols going around the city in an effort to keep order, but the shinobi all knew that by now the escapee would be long gone.

"I just cannot believe this," Temari muttered. She leaned into her husband's side a little further and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to comprehend the situation. "Baki may have been getting older, but he is still an incredibly sharp shinobi. By no means should he have slipped up on a prison patrol-"

"I agree," Kankuro interjected, his jaw firmly set, "Have either of you even sparred with Baki-sensei lately? I was out there with him two days ago throwing kunai and he was picking them off with shuriken left and right…the anbu record for kunai deflection is 28/30…he'd knocked away 49 of my 50! He's still sharp as a tack!" At this, Kankuro sighed and raked his hand through his hair in frustration. "I just don't get it." He finished.

"I believe you both to be correct," Gaara solemnly answered, "but I had no choice but to imprison him. It is still protocol and it is my duty to see this through. The more pressing matter is…how did the prisoner escape?"

At this, Shikamaru sighed, "It would seem that would be my department. You're going to make me investigate this incident, aren't you?" Gaara nodded resolutely in reply, and Shikamaru sighed once again. True to his nature, Shikamaru muttered his famous phrase "how troublesome", but it didn't seem that he actually thought the task to be _all_ that troublesome. Instead, the Nara man's jaw set, and he tightened the hold he had on his wife, pulling her closer into his side.

"I'll help you out, Shikamaru," Hinata had started, but Gaara instantly refused.

"Absolutely not." Gaara stiffly interjected.

This earned the Kazekage a fierce, defiant glare from his lover. "Who are you to tell me I can't?" Hinata challenged.

Though not one to normally flaunt his status, Gaara deadpanned, "I am the Kazekage."

At this, everyone in the room had to crack a tired smile…well, everyone but Hinata.

"That shouldn't matter! You're protecting me as a _boyfriend_, not as a _Kage_…" Hinata started.

"Wrong. I am protecting you as both a boyfriend _and _a Kage." The redhead simply stated, allowing a tiny smile to curve at the corner of his lips.

"This is unbelievable! Youlittle-" Hinata angrily started.

"Uhh…come on, Temari. We need to get out of here." Shikamaru tried not to laugh as he stood up and reached his hand out to his tired and upset wife. "It's past our bedtime." The sound of Hinata's ranting and Gaara's stiff monologue could clearly be heard behind the retreating couples' chatter.

"Ah…I think I'm going to join you," Kankuro added, watching Hinata steadily grow more red-faced and breathless while Gaara's expression remained perfectly passive. Kankuro mentally smirked as he took in the scene before him. Wasn't that just so cute? His little brother and his girlfriend were having their first fight. Of course, it wasn't until the middle sand sibling turned his face away from the scene before him and met the other couples' odd looks before he realized what his earlier words had suggested. His eyes widened with sudden realization and a blush took over his face. "Not like _that_!"

* * *

"Arashi, calm down!" Chiasa was growing steadily more frustrated with her partner's ranting. "We'll figure something out."

Angrily, Arashi spun around to face his female counterpart. The cave they were currently in was damp and cold, despite the hot, humid climate of the forest beyond their place of refuge. If Chiasa turned, she would undoubtedly see nothing but miles of treetops stretching in an expanse in front of her, but she instead had her attentions directed toward her angry, ne, _very_ angry partner in crime.

"We'll figure something out," Arashi sarcastically mimicked, growing more and more agitated with every word that was exchanged between the two. "With Raiden dead, we've lost nearly all of our connections to the other missing-nin. You know our organization will crumble if all members don't communicate...oh, wait. I've forgotten," the male sneered, "you're not an _official_ member yet. Raiden always did tell me to watch out for you-you're a potential threat to our cause, with your wishy-washy nonsense! Now that you've killed him due to your cowardly tendencies, we have no orders, and how are we to know if we should proceed if we've been cut off from our allies?"

Chiasa resisted the urge to roll her eyes and turned to gaze out at the moon hanging high above the trees' canopy. "It's true I've disagreed with some of the stuff your 'organization' has wanted me to do, but for the most part it's all we have. Ultimately, you lot are putting in with the wrong group…no matter what they promise you, there's no way they can deliver it all! Money, new techniques, a nomadic life without ties to villages…they're empty promises! In reality we're not going to get any better than we are now, which is what we can steal from travelers and being on the run. Don't tell me you're foolhardy enough to actually believe that they can give you all of that!"

At this admission, Arashi moved faster than Chiasa could blink. Within a second, his face was mere inches from hers and he was holding her shoulders so tightly it could only be described as murderous intent. His eyes glinted evilly and with a strange calm, he maliciously whispered, "The organization is _everything_!"

Chiasa stared into Arashi's eyes in that moment…eyes that were glinting with real and unabated madness, and quite suddenly regretted ever leaving the Village Hidden in the Shadows.

* * *

**Authors** Note:

Now that the chapter's over, I can start my post-chapter rant! :D Yaaayyy lol!

I'm sorry the chapter's so short. I WILL be posting another chapter before the 5th, though….I WILL! I may even get to it tonight! :D (Though that might not happen…Most likely part will be written tonight and I'll finish it up tomorrow).

Over these past few months, I have been: finishing up my semester, taking semester exams, going on vacation to Colorado, dieting and exercising more, signing up for new classes, finishing up my 900 hours for work (including working at an animal shelter), signing up for my new AmeriCorps training for this year (training weeks starts the fifth), I broke my laptop last month and JUST got it back a week ago, soo I started slowly but surely busting out of my writer's block (a BIG thanks to my friend Genesis for helping me brainstorm since my beta has been MIA for quite a while)…oh, and I've also been getting into a new religion, although for the sake of both myself and of preventing an argument amongst my readers, I am not going to tell you what religion (No, not even if you ask me nicely or bribe me with a cookie!).

Also, as a result of my Beta going MIA, I'm looking for a new one. If you or anyone you know is interested, just e-mail me (my e-mail is on my profile), or you can always say hey with a review and let me know you're interested. As those of you who have already reviewed know (and as long as it's not an anonymous review), I reply to all reviews I get! ^^ Unfortunately, since I've already got this fic planned out until the ending chapter now, I will be only needing help with my other fics, and of course, newer ones that may be written in the future. This involves other animes, and possibly some Harry Potter fics. ;D

It was a funny story, actually…my writers block ended earlier tonight when the first thunderstorm in several weeks went through our area. All of our crops were dying, and along with the much needed rain, my creativity also returned. I grabbed my laptop and sat out on the front porch, typing away in my comfy pj's and sipping my sweet tea until my cats finally found me. For those of you who have cats…you understand. ;) Still, I think the ending of our drought with the much needed rain and its relationship to my creativity does the situation a sort of poetic justice that can only be achieved through the natural order.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all of you who are staying with this fic until the end! You have no idea how much it means to me! Although it is making me incredibly sad to finish it, I am also quite excited to do so as well. This is my first major fic and it drew quite a lot of attention. I have also grown exponentially with my writing technique during the creation of this fanfic, and I would like to take the time to thank all of you for keeping up with me and encouraging me as well.

As I said before, chapter 16 will be up in a few days, and chapter 17 after that! I look forward to finally finishing this fic, and don't forget about that open Beta position! ;)

Much love!

-K.


	16. The True Promises of A Man

Hey guys!

As promised, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

-K.

* * *

'Insufferable jerk.' Hinata thought to herself, huffing as she kicked off her bed sheets. Despite the comfort of her accommodations, the former Hyuuga heiress was having trouble getting comfortable in her gigantic, fluffy bed. It was already well into the night, nearing 3 am, and her temporary insomnia was getting to a critical point. Normally Hinata would have picked herself off the bed and poured herself a glass of water to try to settle her mind, but she knew it would do her no good. Her mental state was poor at the moment due to a fierce anger that was burning through her; no amount of water could settle a furious mind before bedtime.

It was all because of Gaara, of course. The two had sat in the den for quite some time arguing about his "right" to keep her out of duty, and their discussion had lasted for quite some time. Even now, hours after their initial argument had ended, Hinata was lying awake in her bed trying to calm herself down. Most of it was pure unabated anger and resentment…anger towards Gaara for having the audacity to hold her back from perfectly acceptable missions for her rank, and resentment at them both. She resented the fact that he was Kazekage and had the power to control her, but she also resented the fact that she was crazy enough to fall in love with a Kage. Doing so would only cause trouble-that was obvious from the beginning-but their relationship had persisted into something so remarkable and complex she wasn't even sure she understood it all most of the time.

Huffing at herself again, she angrily turned to her other side, grabbing a pillow and pressing it close to her chest. Hinata closed her eyes tightly, desperately trying to will her anger away-she had to work tomorrow and her chakra stores needed to be built up-but it seemed that there was something other than anger that still remained from she and Gaara's earlier fight.

Hinata's eyes shot open in mild surprise, and an even stronger surge of anger ran through her. During the fight downstairs had been the first time she had ever seen Gaara really let loose and get angry, and while it was frightening at times, it was also incredibly intimate. Hinata knew that she was the only person to have seen that side of him; the only person to have witnessed the full extent of the Kazekage's love, worry and possessiveness. More than once during the fight, Gaara had listened to her angry rants and desperate pleas with a clenched jaw and a fire in his eyes. Before she had even started trying to reason with him, she knew that the strength she was seeing in him was resolute. He was not going to give in, and with the tension that was already in the air adding to his masculine appeal, it seemed to have had quite the impact on the former Hyuuga heiress.

She was horny as hell.

Hinata bit her lip in frustration and anger. Now what was she supposed to do? She had to be at work in 4 hours-dressed, in the door and ready to go! She was angry, horny, and couldn't sleep because of her stupid, ridiculous boyfriend and all she wanted to do in that moment was kill him.

Closing her eyes and still clutching her pillow tightly to her chest, Hinata tried to reason with her sleep-deprived and lustful brain.

Naturally, after a few minutes of trying to calm herself down, she was still worked up and angry. With an infuriated cry that could be compared to the likes of Sakura, Hinata threw her pillow over her head in her frustration. It hit the wall behind her with a soft thud, and landed safely next to her where it belonged. Hinata violently threw off her covers completely and expelled herself from the bed with more force than really necessary. Stomping across the floor toward where her bag sat on her dresser, the former heiress grabbed her hairbrush and started yanking it through her indigo hair, nearly ripping out large chunks in the process. It was only when she had brushed her teeth and combed her hair that the girl stepped into the hallway outside of her room, heading for the Kazekage's chambers.

Of course, Hinata would have preferred not to have had anything to do with Gaara at the moment, but her body was saying other things. There was no way she was going to get any sleep until she either got rid of her excitement or anger, so she was going to do whatever she could to make one of the two disappear. As for masturbating…she had only explored herself a few times in the past before coming to Suna, and she was determined to never have to do it again. It made no sense to handle it herself when she had a loving boyfriend to take care of it for her (even if she was furious at him at the moment), and she knew if she did it herself she would not achieve the same level of satisfaction she would receive if she would have gone to him.

Also-judging by the heat her body was giving off at the moment-pleasuring herself was not an option.

As she had just finished her thought, she had turned into the hallway which featured Gaara's chamber door. For a moment she debated on whether she should just open it or if she should knock first; after hearing no sound coming from inside she settled for just pushing the door open and loudly whispering, "Gaara, it's me."

The room was empty. The only source of light inside the room was the moon's waning white beams glistening through the large paneled window and onto his tan floor. The bathroom door was open; the small room was completely encased in black but Hinata didn't need her Byakuugan to know that it was empty. She did, however, need it to find Gaara. She needed him and she needed him _now_. She could only hope that he wasn't working.

Almost immediately after activating her bloodline limit, a quick search revealed what she already knew-the bathroom and his bedroom were both empty. She searched the kitchen, the living room, and even his sibling's rooms just in case; he wasn't there. Frowning, Hinata checked the one place she hoped she wouldn't find him, and naturally that was where he was.

* * *

"How did I know I would find you here?" Hinata sighed, as she made her way across the rooftop of the Kazekage mansion. At the edge of the roof sat the Kazekage in all of his nighttime glory. His dark pants blended in with the dark sky in front of him, but the moon's light caught on his plain white t-shirt. His arms were chiseled to perfection from all of the training he had undergone in a very short amount of time, and his chest was broader now, too. He was more fit, overall, although still small for his age. Nonetheless, the image of her man dressed in such a manner succeeded in putting Hinata's mind straight back into the gutter.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Gaara softly replied, motioning for her to come sit next to him. Immediately Hinata started making her way toward him, careful not to slide on the roof's tiles. Soon enough she had made her way across to him, and the two sat in companionable silence for a few moments.

"I couldn't sleep," Hinata answered truthfully after a minute or so. True, there was more to her being on the roof with him than that, but she did not want to instigate another fight. Even more than that, though, Gaara's being on the roof was bothering her. Sitting on the roof at night was a habit he had kicked not long after Shukaku's being extracted from him. Part of the reason he would sit on the roof was simply because he had nothing better to do but wallow in his own misery since he couldn't sleep, and after that it was his way of escaping life for a bit so he could sort out his problems.

Something was wrong.

More silence followed, and Hinata miraculously started to grow weary. Now that her anger was ebbing away by the second, she was able to focus and relax her mind. The quiet of the village at night was lulling her to sleep, and Gaara's presence next to her was both relaxing and fulfilling. Hinata shifted a little closer to Gaara's side and rested her head on his shoulder, finally at peace. As soon as she started to close her eyes, however, Gaara spoke, "Don't go to sleep yet."

Hinata forced her eyes open and lifted her head back off of his shoulder, blinking away sleep (or at least trying to). Through her efforts to stay awake, she saw Gaara's weary smile before she was lifted off of her spot on the roof and gently placed into his lap. Gaara said nothing for a moment, content with just holding her in his arms under the desert moonlight, before he finally blurted, "I'm sorry."

This seemed to awaken Hinata a little bit. Frowning, she lifted her head off of his chest and raised her eyes to meet his. After determining that he was indeed being sincere, she quietly asked, "For what?"

Gaara closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers, slowly exhaling a breath he had been holding since his admission. He took a moment before replying, "For everything, but especially for tonight. I keep trying to control you and to keep you in a little room, locked away from everything that could ever possibly harm you." He pulled her a little closer and tucked her head under his chin as he gazed out at the moon once more. It seemed as though he drew a sort of inner strength from that great white orb in the sky, but only he knew that he only stared at it because it reminded him of her eyes. Still, he continued, "I've been a jerk, and I apologize. I can't promise I'll stop trying to protect you, but I'm certainly going to try. Now, can we please go back to where we were before?" He grasped her shoulders and pulled her back from his chest again to look at her expression, his eyes pleading. He took his hands within hers, grasping them tightly as he held them in their laps. He chose this moment to stare at her hands rather than look into her face; he even flipped them over so that he could trace her palms with his thumbs. Her hands were so tiny; even with his smaller frame her hands were being swallowed by his own. She was so small, so delicate, and so breakable that he felt an overwhelming need to protect her. He didn't mean to be a jerk to her; he just didn't know if he could handle taking a chance and losing her. He hoped his apology would be good enough…

Thankfully, Hinata smiled at him tenderly and pulled him in for a tender kiss. At first it was teeth and tongues, much like their first kiss in her room a few nights before, but almost immediately they both remembered what one another liked and melded together like they had been together for years. Gaara closed his eyes and pulled her flush against his body. Slowly, he started to lie back on the roof with her still in his arms and allowed her to dominate the kiss. She untangled their legs and placed her knees on either side of his hips, straddling him. It wasn't long before she started dropping her hips low onto his, and their kisses started to get more heated. As the moon hung high above the two, watching them interact on the rooftop of the largest building in Suna, Gaara made a series of promises to himself. With every kiss she gave him, he swore he would no longer take her for granted. He would try to be understanding and allow her to do her job, no matter how much it may kill him inside with worry. It was not his place to order her around like that, even if he so desperately wanted to keep her safe.

With every soft touch she gave him, worshipping his battered and bruised body and heart, he swore to her that he would do the same for her. They both had their own misgivings and fears about their relationship and love in general, and he was determined he would show her a love no man would ever be able to show her again. He would treat her with only love, kindness, and a reverence that only comes with finding one to love him exactly as he is.

Finally, when she seated him within her for the second time ever, he grabbed her around her middle and yanked him back down on top of her, even as she still moved up and down on top of him. He kissed her face with the same love and reverence he had already sworn to give her, and when they both neared completion, he moaned her name quietly, intimately, but it was as if the whole village could hear it. Moments later, they both reached their completion and he shot his seed inside of her for the second time in their lives.

After he came back to his senses, albeit still panting heavily, Gaara shakily lifted his hand and guided his love's gaze toward him, as she was lying spent on his chest. As he brought her face into his gaze, he resisted the urge to chuckle, despite his still rapid breathing and heartbeat. It seemed his hime was already asleep.

He waited a few minutes more, with her lying on top of him naked on his roof and with him still seated inside of her, before he finally wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled them both up. He didn't bother with their clothes; he had his sand gather them and put them in his laundry hamper near his dresser. Instead, fully nude and carrying his equally nude princess, he gathered his remaining sand and allowed it to float them down safely through his bedroom window and into his room. When his feet had safely touched the ground he stalked over to his bed and placed Hinata in the covers, kissing her forehead as he did so.

Suddenly, Gaara was exhausted for the first time that evening, and he wasted no time in making his way around his bed and hopping under the covers to join her. After getting himself comfortable, Gaara rolled onto his side and gathered his hime into his arms, pulling her closer into his side. He didn't stop pulling her closer until she was crushed against him, her head tucked beneath his chin and his arms supporting her head and back. His leg was in between hers, and he was finally satisfied and ready to sleep. He closed his eyes, and remembered the third promise he had inadvertently made tonight.

Yes, a third promise. Tonight he had completed his promises to her as a man; love, independence, and finally…

A family.

Now he supposed, all that was left to do was marry her.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Okay, that was good! xD Even for me, that was good! I LOVE that ending!

Not to worry, kiddos…more chapters are soon on the way. I just wanted to give a little side break to our favorite main characters to really establish the seriousness of their relationship…they haven't had a chance to yet, and stuff's REALLY gonna go down within the next few chapters! ;)

Love you all, and I hope to be updating within a few days! ^^

-K.


	17. Blood, Sweat and Tears

Hey peeps!

I am currently on Christmas break (as I'm sure you all are as well), so I'm taking advantage of it (somewhat) for updating. I hope to update more soon, but I'm taking two interim classes so I have to kinda work in some writing. More on that later…for now, back to chapter 17 of my fic _It Was You, Hinata_!

* * *

It was still dark outside of the windows of the Kazekage's suite when Hinata awoke from her slumber. Moonlight streamed in the room, touching a narrow path on the floorboards and leading up to the sheets in which she was currently tangled, her hand fisting them into a neat bunch around her fingers. It was through this pale unearthly glow of the moon's rays that the young Hyuuga could make out shapes against the wall-furniture that was both unfamiliar in detail and placement. To say that waking up in unfamiliar surroundings startled the Hyuuga would be an understatement, but what surprised her the most was the feel of strong arms wrapped around her midsection, the sensation of a hard chest pressed tightly against her back.

While initially startled, it took the young woman only a moment for her mind to process where she was and with whom she was currently entangled, and when the realization set in (and of course, the memories of their rooftop adventure only hours previous), the Hyuuga girl only closed her eyes in bliss and relaxed into her boyfriend's hold once again. She rarely got to spend time with Gaara as it was; she knew to savor what moments she had with him, even if they only came after random encounters that the two found themselves sharing more and more frequently.

Forcing herself to move her head off of her pillow, she glanced at the alarm clock that sat neatly on Gaara's bedside table; it read 4:36 A.M, and Hinata resisted the urge forcibly bury her head face-first into Gaara's pillow. She had only fallen asleep about 45 minutes ago, and she had to be at work at 6:45! Was she ever going to get any sleep?

Ensuring that she was being very quiet and careful not to make any more movement than necessary, the Hyuuga woman turned onto her other side so that she was now facing her sleeping boyfriend and quite suddenly found that she had lost the ability to breathe. The moonlight's rays reflected off of his sweet face only enhanced his beauty, bringing out the very best characteristics of his form. High cheekbones, a beautiful pale complexion, and soft, full lips…each made the Hyuuga girl want to kiss him all over, but something more disturbing caught her attention. Dark circles under Gaara's—_her _Gaara's—eyes were also enhanced in the white light filling the bed, and an uncontrollable worry similarly filled the Hyuuga's heart. He had been working late again, worrying about her. Why did he push himself so hard?

Closing her eyes, Hinata leaned into his form further, and it was a tribute to his own exhaustion that his inner shinobi didn't immediately awaken at the movement. It didn't take long for Hinata to fade either, despite the worry still unsettling her consciousness. Dark eyelashes once again settled themselves upon snow white cheeks, and the last thing she saw before waking the next morning was her boyfriend's soft sleepy expression.

* * *

Stalking through the hallways of the Kazekage mansion, an experienced member of Suna's ANBU made his way to Hyuuga Hinata's room. He knew she was not in her room; he could sense the absence of any sort of chakra from inside that particular room even from two floors below his destination. If he had particularly cared—which he didn't, really—he would make his way for the Kazekage's chambers, where he knew she was currently resting, but his motive was not to harm the Hyuuga girl. Not yet, anyway.

As he rounded the corner and into another hallway—the one leading to the Hyuuga girl's bedroom—he allowed the corner of his ANBU mask to slip—the likeness of an otter falling sideways in an almost animalistic display of confusion. A grin—uncharacteristic of this particular shinobi—formed on the ANBU's rugged, scarred face, as he calmly and stealthily opened the bedroom door and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him as he went. As soon as the door clicked in place, hiding the man's misdeeds to the unsuspecting ANBU on patrol elsewhere around the mansion, it was too late. Soft laughter came from within the room as the ANBU shinobi inside the room realized he was really in the clear. Golden eyes flickered for a moment before glowing a little bit brighter.

* * *

A tired Kankuro made his rounds around the perimeter of sector A, a small section of businesses and homes separated by surveyors from generations past. Sector A has and always will contain the office building of the Kazekage, and most of the other general assembly buildings within the village. The Kazekage's mansion was in Sector D, several streets over. It was a rather ingenious system, actually, the way the maps of Suna operated. Most of the frequently targeted buildings were divided into separate "Sectors" now, in order to avoid confusion which had been similarly encountered in the past.

With Crow strapped to his back, Kankuro quietly and stealthily made his way around the corners and alleyways that he now knew by heart. He had been raised within these streets—there was not one crevice unfamiliar to him, and this was a great advantage to him as a guard shinobi. He knew to check the places of which other patrollers remained ignorant.

Silhouetted against a moonlit sky, the middle sand sibling ducked into an alleyway that had been once frequented by a civilian street gang before they had moved their operation elsewhere; blood still stained the walls of the structures nearby, the only remnants of the fights that had once taken place there. Besides upturned garbage cans and a couple of dumpsters, nothing was out of the ordinary that Kankuro could see, but he wasn't a high-caliber shinobi for nothing.

Lesson #1: Never trust your eyes.

Kankuro scanned the alleyway, his senses heightened as he took one cautious step forward after another. His hand subconsciously wrapped itself around a kunai in his belt, the cool metal not even coming close to matching the biting chill of the night air of the desert.

Suddenly, his ears picked up on the sound of water plopping on the ground. Kankuro's eyebrows furrowed; it very rarely rains in the desert, and even more rarely does it rain enough to leave a puddle.

It hadn't rained that night, either.

Stepping backward and only after quickly sensing for other chakra's nearby did he stoop down to touch what he had stepped in, and even in the white light of the moon he immediately recognized what was on his fingers and the ground. Blood.

He checked for other chakras again, this time with much more precision, and was surprised to find a weak, _very _weak chakra signature behind one of the dumpsters in front of him. No wonder he hadn't picked it up before…whoever it was had lost a lot of chakra—and blood if they had bled out past the dumpster like that. If they were alive, they would need medical assistance immediately if they had any hope of surviving, and Kankuro immediately leapt behind the dumpster to help whoever it was.

"Hello, are you hurt? I—_SHIT_! Temari!"

* * *

"Where is Shikamaru?" A controlled yet distraught voice echoed through a busy hallway. "Why isn't he here?"

"I don't know! I couldn't find him this morning; he wasn't at their house or in their room at the mansion—" A second voice sounded, more upset than the first.

"What happened?" Another voice demanded, much more controlled and authoritative than the previous two interrupted, and Gaara and Kankuro respectively turned to look at the newest person joining their discussion. "Baki-sensei!" they both breathed, somewhat relieved.

"Answer the question, damn it!" Baki growled in annoyance. He had just been released from prison a half hour ago; another victim shinobi had been taken, and with Baki jailed at the time the crime was committed it had been enough to prove his innocence to the Kazekage. After being forced to take a quick shower and change at the prison facility, he was taken to the hospital where he was informed of Temari's state, and now the Sand shinobi was _pissed_ and very, very worried. He wanted answers.

No one hurts his little girl and gets away with it.

"I don't know what happened, Baki-sensei," Kankuro answered solemnly from his position in one of the hospital's waiting room chairs, "I was on patrol this morning, and I found her an alley, bleeding to death. She was in bad shape when I found her, and she's been in surgery for several hours now…that's all I know."

"Hinata's taking care of her," Gaara added, closing his eyes, "She said she was in critical condition, and she'll tell us more after she completes her examination." The youngest sand sibling, although his eyes were closed, still had not completely perfected hiding his feelings from his sensei. Baki could tell that he was worried—immensely so. The boy's arms were folded tightly against his chest, and although he tried to hide it, his hands were clenching and unclenching rather unceremoniously. His jaw line was unusually taught with tension, and there was a slight, almost invisible grinding of his teeth from side to side. Whenever Baki would see Gaara upset badly enough he would start to grind his teeth, he would have to resist the urge to give a slight smile. Baki would never tell any of the Suna siblings this because he knew that they would feel strongly about something even so simple, but their father would do the exact same thing when upset about something.

"Well then," Baki shifted from his position against the doorframe to take a seat near Kankuro, "I suppose we'll just have to wait now, won't we?"

A nervous, but welcome silence settled over the three men as they waited for news on the woman they had all grown to love in one way or another. It was unsettling to think of someone so bright and feisty as being injured badly enough to be left nearly dead in an alley in the depths of her own home village. The thought disturbed all three men. What kind of enemy were they facing?

One thought lingered among the three men more than all others, though: Where was her husband? The one who had pledged his life to her, and to whom she had pledged her own when they were married three years ago? It was no secret that even after the years separating their marriage they were still very much in love, so the three men did not doubt for even a second Shikamaru's love for her, but what in the world would cause him to disappear like that?

There was a sneaking suspicion in all three men's minds…one they did not want to consider, but ultimately knew was most likely their answer. Temari and Shikamaru were not normally early risers…even among shinobi standards, and both had left their room before even Gaara had awoken to resume his duties as Kazekage for the day.

Foul play was obviously involved, but how? And if Temari was found on the verge of death, wherever Shikamaru was now…how did that bode for him?

All the three shinobi men could do is wait, and hope that whatever higher power there was would spare their small family of the hurt they would soon face.

* * *

Alright, that's all for now. I'll try to update ASAP, and hopefully that'll be before I go back to work Jan 3rd. Sorry for the awful timeline on my updating; as inconvenient as it is for you, it's also inconvenient for me as well. Try to keep up with me, and please refrain from hurting me until AFTER the fic is concluded. :P LOL!

I do have good news, though! I'm starting to write a novel! :3 Yes, you heard me right…a novel! I have an awesome idea for one and solid characters to work with, so I figured what the hell? I've only been practicing with writing fanfiction for several years now, so why shouldn't I at least try to get something going for myself? I'll give you more details later when things get more developed, although there definitely won't be any rush in completing this novel. I have other obligations to finish before I finish something such as that. You know…like some fanfics I have yet to finish! LOL!

Every time I go back to re-read this fic, I see my writing style and abilities progress before my eyes. Years of writing practice invested in this fic, and it's left some holes and some things in this fic that just makes me want to tear my hair out over. Still, I don't want to leave you all hanging; I'm going to finish this fic and give you the conclusion you've all been waiting for, and then after I finish the fic I will go back from the beginning and edit/add to some of the chapters that are missing things. Then, it shall be better. Yosh!

As always, review and let me know what you think! Love you all!

-Kasie.


	18. The Ultimate Betrayal

Hey everybody!  
Sooo…I skipped out a day of work for my classes and worked on this instead. I updated two days in a row! :P Merry Christmas! Hahahahaha!

Hope you like it. :3

-K.

* * *

Shikamaru Nara groaned as he sat up, clutching his head. A throbbing sensation was pulsing at the back of his skull; it was enough to make him realize that he had been struck from behind and knocked out. The last thing her remembered was jumping across Suna's rooftops with Temari in hot pursuit of an unauthorized ANBU entering Hinata's room. Temari had shaken her husband awake because she felt a chakra signature flare, and in an instant the two were in the room, confronting the man. His behavior was unusual for a guard, and his intentions were unidentifiable until the ANBU turned to gaze at the husband and wife duo, his eyes flashing yellow. It was only when the man had disappeared from the room and his silhouette could be seem making its way across the rooftops did the two realize that they had a legitimate problem.

The Nara genius narrowed his eyes as he took in his surroundings; unfamiliar as they were, they were completely familiar. He had been abandoned on the outskirts of the village, in the middle of the dunes, bound so that his movement was restricted. The gears in the genius's mind started turning as he quickly formulated several different possible motives for the ANBU's doing so:

He knew that the ANBU was fleeing Hinata's bedroom when he was caught in the act; obviously attention was unwanted on his behalf. There was only one reason for that: he had something to hide.

Because he had something to hide, it made sense that he would want to slow Shikamaru's return to the village. He would want to keep all information delivered to the Kazekage as delayed as possible.

If the ANBU's true intention was to indeed delay information, why not just kill him and ensure the safety of the traitor's retreat?

The muscle in Shikamaru's jaw twitched in annoyance. None of this made sense. No shinobi of such a high caliber would leave a possible threat to their mission alive. That only indicated that the ANBU, taking into account his running from the scene and his leaving the Nara genius alive, wanted him to stay alive. But why?

By this time Shikamaru had worked the kunai through the rope binding his arms to his chest and was now able to free his legs of their bindings as well. Taking advantage of the victory, Shikamaru checked for nearby chakra signatures and didn't know whether to be joyful or distraught that there wasn't a soul anywhere in the proximity. Stony faced and silent, the Nara cleared any evidence of his being there from the scene before quickly sprinting off toward Suna village to relay this new information and to find his wife.

* * *

Gaara straightened from his slouch against the waiting room wall as Kankuro and Baki stood from their seats, turning their attention to the exhausted Hyuuga female that had just entered the room. With one look into her sorrow-filled face, they could tell that Temari's condition wasn't what they had hoped it would be.

"How is she?" Kankuro hopelessly croaked. He had always leaned on his sister for support in the past and felt guilty about it. He desperately hoped she would be okay, so he could in turn let her lean on him in the future. He still hadn't had a chance to prove to her that he was a good brother, and he secretly begged whatever higher power there was to give him the chance.

Baki and Gaara both sported perfect stony expressions, but both were unreasonably tense, their jaws clenched. However, even without these physical clues Hinata knew both of them well enough to know the worry was probably eating them alive. Doing them a kindness, she did not waste any time with the typical medic apology before answering Kankuro's question.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Hinata ran a newly disinfected hand over her face tiredly, "and there is a lot of internal damage. It looks like someone took a kunai and stabbed her pretty good in the stomach…it nicked her kidney and that's what caused her to bleed out so badly." Hinata paused for a moment to choke back tears, and then continued, "After they stabbed her, they repeatedly drew the kunai, knife, whatever it was—across her stomach like they were drawing on her or something. We got most of it patched up, and with the exception of some of the deepest gauges, the scars are almost completely gone. I'm afraid whatever scars are left after today will remain permanently."

The boys sighed, somewhat relieved. "Is she going to be okay?" Gaara quietly asked, reinforcing the seriousness of the question. This was what really mattered to the boys, after all. Scars they could deal with, but…

"What worries me most in her head injury," Hinata furrowed her brow, "Whoever attacked her really knew what they were doing. They not only hit her extremely hard—hard enough to cause some serious trauma around the wound, but it hit in just the right spot to cause some bleeding in her brain. Nothing serious," Hinata backpedalled quickly, after seeing the men's look of horror, "I did what I could. I'm mentioning this because the blood that was drowning her brain particularly affected the memory center of her brain. I'm not sure how much she is going to remember…of, well…anything." Hinata's gaze shifted downward and she shuffled her feet nervously. "I'm sorry, boys."

Suddenly the staunch, white walls of the hospital seemed even less appealing than they already had. Kankuro slowly sat back down in his seat, his hand clutching at the arm of the chair a little tighter than normal. Baki just stared ahead at one of the many cliché, ugly paintings that hung on the wall to try to brighten the atmosphere, his expression empty.

Hinata and Gaara just stared at each other, hoping that one would tell the other that this was all just a dream, that this wasn't really happening.

The reality of the situation hadn't even really sunk in yet when Shikamaru finally came running into the waiting room. When he saw expressions on the others' faces, he immediately turned to Hinata, his expression begging, imploring her to tell him Temari was okay. It was only when Hinata saw the look of desperation and fear on Shikamaru's face—a fear she knew as his losing another person he loved more than his own life—Hinata wrapped her arms around her stomach and she fell to her knees, choking back sobs. Suddenly, Temari's condition suddenly became all too real for her.

When Hinata had first been summoned, the staff yelling that Kankuro had brought his sister to the hospital and she was in critical condition, Hinata had thought it a joke; surely the sand siblings were just playing a cruel prank on her. When Hinata had rounded the corner and saw a clearly distraught Kankuro holding a very bloody Temari, she instantly went in to medic mode. She didn't even remember a lot of the smaller details…her mind had closed off all emotions, only focusing on her duty to save the life of a patient, and she was the best medic in Suna at the moment. It was her duty.

The seriousness of the situation hit her all at once.

Temari-san was incapacitated—worse, her future state of mind was in jeopardy. How much of her life would she remember? Would she still have the few memories she had of her parents? Even the most precious ones of her mother? Would she remember what happened to Gaara and Kankuro and their father—would she even remember that she has brothers that were worrying about her? And Shikamaru—oh, poor Shikamaru—her devoted husband, waiting anxiously for her to wake up to see if she would even remember him, their marriage…

Hinata trembled. Oh, God.

The baby that she had lost.

Temari had only been two weeks along…too soon for her to notice any symptoms at all. It would only have been another couple of weeks before they had found out. Hinata could only imagine the joy the two would have shared when Temari could finally tell Shikamaru that the baby for whom they had been trying so hard was finally on its way. Four years now they had been trying…they were beginning to think it would never happen.

And now an innocent life was gone.

By now Hinata realized she was in Gaara's arms, and his shirt was now drenched with her tears. He was patting her back and softly saying something to her…obviously trying to calm her down, but it wasn't working. Hinata was just as hysterical as she was moments before. Her eyes were squinted shut, trying to block out the pain, to keep the image of the men in front of her hurting out of her head.

This was all her fault.

If she hadn't been born a goddamned Hyuuga, if the whole ninja world wasn't constantly targeting her for her eyes, _if she was stronger_ _an unborn child wouldn't be…_

Guilt, horror and devastation ate at Hinata relentlessly. This _was _her fault. She could hear Shikamaru talking, now...now that Baki had told him about Temari's state, Shikamaru was relaying last night's events to the boys, and he had mentioned golden eyes…just like the night that the village had been attacked and they had left that note in her room.

This was all about her fucking eyes. Eyes she didn't want, eyes she didn't need…eyes that cursed her very existence.

Hinata broke out of Gaara's grasp, desperately wiping tears out of the eyes she hated so much at this point in her life. Never had she hated herself more…she wished she could gouge the damn things out. She would happily blind herself at this moment, ridding herself of her ninja career and her eyesight completely, but she couldn't. There was something she had to do first.

Gaara wrapped his arm around her waist, and turned her gaze to meet his. She realized that he had asked her if she was alright; she knew that he genuinely cared for her well-being, but for now it was imperative that he sense absolutely nothing out of the ordinary in her demeanor. If he realized what she was about to do, well…it could get very messy, because she was not going to let him keep her from it.

She nodded her head affirmatively and quietly stepped to the side of him. After taking an appropriate amount of time to clean herself up and to get a hold of herself, she turned back to the boys and announced that she was going to go take care of some of Temari's things, and the boys, distracted, only nodded as they worked out a plan of action for capturing the attacker(s).

Hinata turned back through the ER's wing's doorway and walked steadfastly to where Temari lay on her bed, still unconscious. Nurses passed Hinata by, but thankfully none of them bothered her with questions about other patients or to express their sympathy about Temari-sama's condition. They knew to give her space for now, and Hinata was thankful for that.

When she reached Temari's bedside, Hinata was hit with an overwhelming sense of kinship. The blonde's hair was nearly obscured by the bandages wrapped neatly around her head, and some blood had already managed to seep through. The nurses had removed Temari's torn, dirty clothing and had washed her with a washcloth to get most of the blood off of her skin, replacing the blood-stained rags that were left on her body with a clean hospital gown. Although Temari looked undoubtedly better than she had when Kankuro had brought her in, the guilt was still palpable. Hinata walked to Temari's side and held her hand for a moment, lightly squeezing it before tears threatened to spill over her and onto the bed beside Temari's hand. Hinata was crying again…Gods, this pain was unimaginable.

"I-" Hinata barely managed. After clearing her throat to rid herself of the lump, she tried again.

"I'm going to fix this, Temari," Hinata managed through her tears, "I'm going to fix everything so that you and Shikamaru, and Gaara and Kankuro and all of the others aren't hurt anymore. I'm sorry for ever coming here and putting you through all of this. And most of all, I'm sorry I didn't tell Shikamaru about the baby. I just…I couldn't bring myself to tear this family apart any further. It's best kept a secret." Hinata gave a pained smile to her friend and she gave her immobile hand another light squeeze. With a heartfelt apology, Hinata finally let go of Temari's hand and made her way to the cabinet, where Temari's dirty clothing sat as carefully folded as possible. Hinata quickly pulled Temari's pants from the bottom of the pile and checked the pockets, but nothing was in them. Furrowing her brows, Hinata checked the pockets of her jounin vest next, but still, to no avail. Exasperated, Hinata turned back to Temari's sleeping form with a heartbroken yet somehow marginally amused expression. Even whilst she was unconscious Temari was trying to protect her.

Hinata took a few precious seconds to close her eyes and think; time was of the essence. In a few minutes the boys would be allowed in to see Temari and Hinata's plan would be useless. She needed the element of surprise, and Temari's unhelpful knowledge of shinobi tactics was unhelpful at the moment.

'If I wanted to hide something on my person where a shinobi couldn't find it, where would it be…?' Hinata thought to herself, brows furrowing in concentration. Temari wasn't the sort of person to just leave something valuable in her pockets…even street thieves were skilled enough to successfully take something from a pocket without the person noticing. The only obvious choice would be…

Hinata sighed as she resisted the urge to smack herself. Of course! Reaching out, she pulled open the drawer directly below the folded clothing, and as expected, found a bag on top neatly labeled, "Personal effects". Inside the bag was a ring, a necklace, and a couple of kunai that were probably left in her jounin jacket when Kankuro found her.

Recognizing that her time was running out, Hinata hurriedly opened the bag and removed one of the kunai. Thankfully Tenten had shown her this trick years ago…she had almost forgotten!

Hinata turned the kunai over once, twice to inspect it. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, Hinata pulled out another kunai and did the same thing. Still nothing.

Frustrated, Hinata pulled the last kunai out of the bag and hoped fervently that she was right. She could hear the nurses talking as they left the E.R…they were going to collect the boys to let them see Temari.

Yes! A small red code was printed on the bottom of this kunai, and Hinata practically wept with relief. Quickly charging a small amount of chakra into her finger and running it along the circular end of the blade, it twisted and popped off, revealing a hollow cavity inside. Wasting no time, Hinata upended the kunai, and a small key fell neatly into the palm of her hand. Relishing her small victory, Hinata squeezed the key tightly within her palm, and replaced the kunai in the bag, returning it to the drawer.

Making sure everything was in perfect order and she had left no evidence of her presence in the room, Hinata ducked out of the other side of the curtain, making her way through the hospital and out the door.

* * *

'Damn door!' Hinata mentally screamed. Now was not the time for a file cabinet mishap.

No thanks to Seiji, Hinata had successfully found her way to the ANBU evidence room, her trusty key in her pocket. Then again, he had given her the directions to the ANBU building with a smirk…

Hinata blanched. That assistant of Gaara's was so strange; if she didn't know better she would say that he had been planning something…

'This is NOT the time!' Inner Hinata shrieked, 'We have just broken into Suna's ANBU headquarters and you're thinking about mischievous assistants? Let's GO!'

Finally, the key turned in the cabinet's lock and Hinata was granted access to the file's inside. None of them really interested her, except for a new one filed under "Special Interests" labeled "Hinata Hyuuga".

Normally, any shinobi of a foreign nation would give an arm and a leg to have an opportunity like the one Hinata had right now…reading the intel that foreign nations had on oneself as a shinobi would be a great laugh at the very least, but Hinata was on a mission…with highly trained ninjas literally swarming the building. Even with Seiji' ignorant, not completely all-knowing alibi Hinata would have some explaining to do if caught.

For instance: Why do you have Temari's key to Suna ANBU's evidence room?  
Why are you in the evidence room? What are you going to DO with the information you got from your little trip to the evidence room?

Yep! All fun questions that Hinata would very much love to answer, naturally.

After rifling through some papers that Suna had on her person—was that her birth certificate?—she finally found that for which she had been looking: an all too familiar yellow envelope.

It had already been opened, naturally, but she doubted that Gaara had found out what it said yet. He had been having some problems with what his shinobi were and were not telling him, and he hadn't said anything about it to her yet, which was unusual. He was always very truthful about this whole thing to her. A pang of guilt struck her as she thought of the betrayal she was about to commit. She would forfeit his trust, their relationship, and quite possibly her life.

It would all be worth it, though, in the end.

A quick scan of the note had been all she needed to know. The note had instructed her to meet the shinobi at the Northwest corner of Suna's border two week's from the date the note had been sent, which had been well over a month ago, or there would be serious repercussions (which Hinata had guessed was what last night was supposed to be). The Hyuuga woman let out a cry of frustration; well there went that idea. Still, this could be used to her advantage.

The ANBU now knew that the enemies wanted to meet her on the Northwest side of the border, but Shikamaru was saying that last night he had followed the enemy to the dunes, where he was then knocked out. The dunes were one the Northeast side of the city, and if that was the last place they were sighted, then that would be her best bet. The freshest tracks are the road to the beast's lair, no matter how confusing or perilous the trail may be.

Hinata had no doubt that even though a time or a date had not been set to meet the rogue shinobi, if she wandered into their area they would be happy nonetheless.

Hinata replaced the note within the envelope and filed everything back in its original place—all was done very quietly and very neatly so that no one would suspect a thing. ANBU were very tricky to deal with; as she would rightfully know, since she is a certified Konoha ANBU member now.

Show no fear.

Hinata navigated her way back through the halls of the ANBU headquarters, laughing with the members every now and then, careful not to act out of the ordinary or arouse unwanted suspicion. When she did manage to get out of the building, she hastened her step and made a last stop at the Kazekage mansion to throw together a last-minute pack for her journey. With 8 years' experience in hurriedly throwing together packs for late-notice missions, she was done within 30 seconds, but paused at the end of her bed, staring at where she had found the yellow envelope weeks before. 'Even the bad guys write notes last minute,' Hinata thought miserably, 'Don't I owe him at least that?'

She only allowed herself for a fleeting moment to think of Gaara…a very, very quick moment indeed, or else she would be too caught up in another kind of guilt that would result in her _staying_ rather than finally doing something to protect the people she loves. That's what this is about, isn't it? Finally protecting _them_ rather than having yet another loved one die to protect _her_.

Hating the fact that even in a crisis her guilt controls her, Hinata yanked open her ornate secretary table's drawer and ripped out a piece of paper from her stationary. She paused for a precious moment to think of what to say, what she could possibly say to spare him even the slightest hurt when he discovers that she had left, but the realization came from within the deepest part of herself: there was not a thing she could say that would make his hurt lessen in the slightest. Bowing her head, tears fell onto the paper…even more tears fell from those evil eyes of hers, eyes responsible for so much blood, pain, death and suffering.

How fitting. Apparently even the most evil of people can hurt.

On her pillow, she left only three words: his favorite three words in the whole world, and she hoped they would bring him the smallest bit of solace even if she knew they would not. She also hoped he would see the tear stains on the note and know that it hurt her to leave—that it tore her apart to do so—but this was the only way. It would be the only way. She would allow nothing else.

It was as a result of this last stand that she finally left her room, clambering out the window and running toward the dunes as fast as she could. She could not afford to waste any more time—it was almost sunset, and along with the day's last rays finally kissing the soft sand of the earth, a bright orange glow hit the note that lay neatly upon her pillow and a small key that now lay beside it. These were the last things she could give to him as the woman he loves, her loyalty and her last words glowing with the radiated strength of the sun.

_I love you._

* * *

Can't talk. Crying.

LEAVE ME ALONE…I CAN CRY OVER MY OWN WRITING!

But seriously. The usual drill. Leave me things, hand me a tissue for my tears, and it's 3:45 in the morning so I want an internet cookie. GIMMEH.

Later loves, and I really hope you enjoyed it. :3 Merry Christmas!

-Kasie.


End file.
